This double chocolate quick bread not only uses up that extra garden zucchini but it's also made with half the sugar other recipes call for and without canola oil for a healthier loaf.
It only takes 10 minutes and one bowl to mix up, from scratch, a loaf of this moist bread. You can even make muffins instead! If you loved how easy and delicious my Banana Zucchini Bread is, then you'll love this recipe too!
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Moist, dense, and rich chocolate flavor. Perfect for the chocolate lovers in your life!
- This sweet treat calls for ½ the amount of sugar that other recipes do.
- Freezes well!
- You're garden is exploding with lots of zucchini, and you need a great way to use it!!!
Ingredients Notes
- Flour - all-purpose flour, not bread flour, and never self-rising flour.
- Sugar - you may be tempted to substitute applesauce for ½ the sugar, but don't. This is a heavy, dense, and very moist chocolate bread. Adding applesauce will add too much liquid to the batter, causing it to sink a lot in the center.
- Fresh Zucchini -No need to peel the zucchini first. Can be either yellow (golden) or green zucchini. Small to medium zucchini are best for baking. Large ones tend to be much dryer and slightly bitter, and the seeds inside have become large, stiff, and have tough outsides. Many people wonder whether you need to squeeze the liquid out of shredded zucchini before using it. The short answer is no. If you grate it and use it immediately, you'll be fine. As grated zucchini sits out, the liquid accumulates, so if you pre-grate it, you may need to wring out the excess moisture.
- Unsweetened Cocoa Powder - Most brands are fine; however, I DO NOT recommend using Hershey's brand cocoa because, to me, it has a bitter, throw-up taste. That's because some companies, such as Hershey's, put their milk through a process called controlled lipolysis. This breaks down the fatty acids in the milk and produces butyric acid - the chemical that gives vomit its very distinctive smell and acrid taste. So yeah...that's a pass for me.
- Chocolate Chips - Both milk chocolate and semi-sweet chocolate chips work fine.
Couple Things You'll Need
Step by Step Instructions
- Preheat your oven temperature to 350 degrees.
- Spray a standard bread loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray OR line it with parchment paper. If you line it with parchment paper, you'll need to secure the paper with clips along the rims of the pan. You can see my clips in picture 9.
- Whisk together the melted butter, eggs, sugar, and vanilla in a large mixing bowl. (This batter ends up pretty thick, so don't bother with a hand mixer. Just go with a wooden spoon.)
- Stir in the cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt and flour.
- Grate the zucchini peel and all.
- Fold in the shredded zucchini and chocolate chips.
- Spoon batter into the prepared loaf pan and spread into an even layer. Please note this is a very thick batter. That's how it's supposed to be. Don't add more liquid.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 45 to 50 minutes. A toothpick or cake tester should not come out clean. There should be moist crumbs on it.
- I let my bread cool for 20 minutes before turning the entire loaf out onto a cooling rack.
- This loaf slices much nicer when it is cool, but I can't resist a warm piece myself so that one is totally your call. Enjoy!
Recipe FAQs and Expert Tips
I have tried a lot of chocolate zucchini bread, and for the most part, they were either not chocolaty enough, or they were too dry, or had a ton of sugar. Death by Chocolate Zucchini Bread is so dense, moist, and deeply chocolaty that it will shock you that it's zucchini bread. Aside from the chocolate chips, there is not any more sugar in this zucchini bread than there is in regular zucchini bread. It's your call whether this recipe is healthy or not, but I feel pretty good about it.
I put mine in a big Ziploc bag that is only zipped shut most of the way. I leave a little open because this bread gets too moist if it's stored in an airtight container. Sometimes I store it right on a cutting board and cover the bread loosely with plastic wrap.
If stored on the countertop, it's good for 2-3 days. It lasts 4-5 if stored in the fridge. You can also wrap this bread tightly in saran wrap and foil once it's completely cool and pop it in the freezer for up to 6 months. Thaw at room temperature.
More Zucchini Recipes
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Ultimate Chocolate Zucchini Bread
Ingredients
- ½ Cup Melted Butter
- 1 Cup Sugar
- 2 Eggs
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- ¾ Cup Cocoa Powder
- 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
- 1 ½ teaspoon Baking Powder
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 1 Cup Flour
- 2 Cups Zucchini grated
- 1 Cup Chocolate Chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Spray a loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray or line it with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the melted butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla, and cocoa powder.
- Stir in the baking soda, baking powder, salt and flour.
- Grate the zucchini.
- Fold in the shredded zucchini and chocolate chips.
- Spread the batter into the loaf pan.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes. A toothpick should come out with moist crumbs on it.
- Let cool for 20 minutes before turning out onto a cooling rack.
- Cool completely, slice, and enjoy!
Notes
- Please note this is a very thick batter. That's how it's supposed to be. Don't add more liquid.
- Cocoa - Most brands are fine; however, I DO NOT recommend using Hershey's brand cocoa because, to me, it has a bitter, throw-up taste. That's because some companies, such as Hershey's put their milk through a process called controlled lipolysis. This breaks down the fatty acids in the milk and produces butyric acid - the chemical that gives vomit its very distinctive smell and acrid taste. So yeah...that's a pass for me.
- Chocolate Chips - Both milk chocolate and semi-sweet chocolate chips work fine. Even mini chocolate chips are fine. It really comes down to whether you want more of a dark chocolate taste to your zucchini bread or not.
- Dark Chocolate Variation - Use special dark chocolate chips and dark chocolate or black cocoa powder in place of regular chocolate chips and cocoa powder.
Nutrition
Thanks for stopping by! Before you go, be sure to check out a few of my most popular recipes!
Mireya
Thank you for this recipe! I made this today, I used Milo chocolate powder, I added two packets of my snack trail mix and it was delicious!!! I can make this every week! every day!!! It is so moist, it has a lot of flavor and very easy to make. I am sure kids and adults will love this recipe!
Mindee
You're welcome! So glad you enjoyed it!
Kate Tuckwell
How long to bake muffins?
Mindee
I would say 15-20 minutes.
Greg
This is definitely a guilty pleasure. Thanks Mindee!!!
L.S.
Hands down, BEST zucchini bread recipe EVER!!!
Vickie
This is just what the doctor ordered for those of us with a serious chocolate addiction!
Sherrie
Still my favorite zuchinni recipe! I make it all season and freeze it for the winter months!
mindeescookingobsession
Thanks Sherrie!!!
Jill
Hi, may I know if I can use a bundt pan for this recipe ? Usually, only dense recipes do well in a bundt pan. Many thanks
mindeescookingobsession
Yes you should be able to. It wouldn’t rise to fill the bundt pan but would cook fine.
Jennifer
This is my new fav recipe with all of my garden zucchini. I usually dont add the chocolate chips and use a whole grain flour. I love the fact its not overly sweet. Ive made with a few variations. Ive added a tsp of cinnamon, Ive made with gluten free flour, Ive also added a marshmallows on top.
Thank you for the recipe.
mindeescookingobsession
You are very welcome! Glad you are enjoying it!
Pat
Made this last night and brought it to work. Everyone loved it, it went fast!!
mindeescookingobsession
Awesome! Thanks so much!
Mindy
I made this and my kids gobbled it up! My daughter even asked me where I got the recipe! We're all loving it-thank you Mindee!!
mindeescookingobsession
You're welcome!