Chocolate Zucchini Bread
Moist double chocolate zucchini bread with chocolate chips. You won’t even know there is zucchini in this decadent chocolate bread!
Let’s make a pact to keep a secret? The kids will never know there is zucchini in this bread. As far as they know, this is double chocolate bread or dark chocolate chocolate chip bread. I mean what they don’t know can’t hurt them so let’s bring on the zucchini…and hide it!
This is the time of year when zucchini is growing like crazy. My Mom talked about the years she had a huge garden in our Scottsdale home. She would try so hard to get certain fruits and vegetables to grow but there was one “steady Eddie” in the bunch — the zucchini. It would grow so big and so fast that she had zucchini coming out of her ears!
She would get out her cookbooks, thumb through and find every single zucchini recipe known to man, and make it. This is where the sneaking in the veggies came from. She was the master at it! We had no idea what she had up her sleeve.
How to make moist chocolate zucchini bread:
This Chocolate Zucchini Bread is the epitome of a decadent baked good that actually has some health benefits! Who knew? The zucchini not only brings a healthy factor, but it also helps to make it moist. Now that is a vegetable which deserves some accolades! They key is to FINELY shred the zucchini. When I use my box grater, I use the fine grater option. The zucchini magically disappears when it is baked.
This double chocolate bread is so moist because it has a combination of both butter and oil. It is the perfect marriage as the butter brings the rich flavor and the oil creates a moist texture.
This chocolate bread recipe calls for a mix of both brown sugar and sugar. They both sweeten the bread but the addition of the molasses in the brown sugar creates a chewy texture.
The chocolate chips are a must in this chocolate zucchini bread recipe! It is what brings the extra dual layer chocolate flavor which makes it so rich and decadent. By folding the majority of the chocolate chips into the batter and then sprinkling the top of the bread with the remaining chocolate chips, you get creamy chocolate in every bite! I usually reach for semi-sweet chocolate chips but if you want a sweeter bread, use milk chocolate chips.
To ensure the double chocolate zucchini bread is fully cooked in the center, insert a toothpick in the center to check for doneness. Since oven temperatures can vary, I would suggest checking the bread at the minimum time listed (40 minutes), and put a toothpick in to check for doneness.
So here’s to sneaking veggies into a decadent chocolate bread without our kids even noticing! This bread can be served with some sweet cream butter or even a spread of Nutella, chocolate hazelnut spread. Now, we are talking!
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Moist rich double chocolate zucchini bread with chocolate chips.
- 1/4 cup Unsalted Butter (melted and cooled)
- 1/4 cup Oil (canola, vegetable, or coconut)
- 1/2 cup Brown Sugar
- 1/2 cup Sugar
- 2 large Eggs
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla
- 1 1/2 cups Grated Zucchini * (tightly packed)
- 1 cup Flour
- 1/2 cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
- 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
- 1/4 teaspoon Baking Powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Salt
- 3/4 - 1 cup Chocolate Chips (semi-sweet or milk chocolate)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9 x 5 (or 8 x 4) pan with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together melted butter, oil, brown sugar, and sugar until completely dissolved. Stir in eggs and vanilla and whisk well.
Add zucchini (see notes about blotting zucchini with a paper towel to soak up some of the moisture) to bowl and stir.
Stir in flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Fold in a heaping 1/2 cup of chocolate chips. Reserve the remaining chocolate chips to sprinkle on the top.
Pour batter into prepared loaf pan. Sprinkle top with remaining chocolate chips. Bake for 45-55 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Check after 30 minutes, if it is getting too done on the sides of the bread, lightly place foil over the top to allow the center to become fully cooked.
The bread may need longer to cook once the foil is placed over the chocolate zucchini bread.
Set aside to cool for at least 15-20 minutes. Let cool before slicing. Serve with sweet cream butter or chocolate hazelnut spread.
*Take a paper towel and lightly dot it on the zucchini to soak up some of the moisture.
*If using salted butter, reduce salt to 1/4 teaspoon.
Bake up a loaf of this chocolate zucchini bread and share with a neighbor or friend! They will LOVE it!
Yum! This is making my mouth water! I love tried and true quick breads! Have a great weekend!
Thank you! Quick and easy is what I am all about too! You won’t even be able to tell there is zucchini in it! So good.
I made this with some tweaks (subbed 2 Tbsp flaxseed + 6 Tbsp water for the eggs and coconut oil for the butter to be egg/dairy free) and it was decadent. Super, super rich and dessert-worthy. I will totally make this again, but I think I might reduce the amount of chocolate chips to be slightly less rich. I hard a harder time getting firm slices, which I think was due to the amount of chocolate chips rather than my subs, but I can’t say for sure. I think I might have to make another loaf soon just to verify. 😉
One note: you truly (like, honest-to-goodness) cannot tell there is any zucchini in here. I used dutch process cocoa (so a darker chocolate which I’m guessing you also used) and finely shredded my zucchini, but it literally disappeared. So if you’re trying to trick your kids, it wouldn’t be hard. Thanks, Melissa – my family is loving this treat!
I love the way your brain works! You and I are so much alike because we both love to experiment and play with recipes. I always look forward to hearing what your feedback because you are such a great cook! You are so right about the zucchini…we couldn’t find any evidence of it in any of our loaves. We tried and tried but it completely disappeared. The chocolate chips do add so much richness to it and I may tweak the recipe to allow for an option. Such awesome feedback, as always. Thank you, Alicia!
Help! I’ve made the chocolate zucchini bread twice, and both times, when I take it out of the oven (after checking doneness with a toothpick) the middle falls…any ideas of what I’m doing wrong?
I’ve been following your weekly emails but this is the first recipe I tried. It’s really delicious and easy. I made three mini loaves to give friends and had enough left over to fill one muffins cup for myself. I couldn’t wait for it to cool so eating it reminded me of a chocolate molten cake. So moist and flavorful. I was tempted to add a tablespoon of instant coffee to the batter but decided to follow the recipe exactly. Mine didn’t dome in the center but that didn’t affect the taste. I look forward to making more of your recipes.
I made this bread today and it was a huge hit with my kids! You’re right, you cannot tell there is zucchini in it. I made it using gluten free flour and it was just delicious! Thanks for the great recipe. I love your blog!