Sinful and delicious, this Double Chocolate Zucchini bread will make you do a double-take! (insert cackle laugh) Even though it’s loaded with garden fresh zucchini, the chocolate flavor and moist, dense texture take center stage here.

This summer I was so proud of my bountiful harvest from the garden. I planted everything from sweet potatoes to cabbage. I also knew to get a slew of recipes ready because sometimes you get lot to handle at the same time. In fact, I have 4 sugar pumpkins in my pantry just waiting for me to use. This recipe was inspired by one question. What in the world does one do when pounds of zucchini are ready for harvest at the same time? A classic option is zucchini bread, of course! Although I intended to freeze some of the zucchini, I didn’t have any leftover after all of the recipes I wanted to make.

This Double Chocolate Zucchini Bread was one of those recipes and it is fabulous.  This incredibly moist, nearly sinful bread will make you not believe it has veggies in it. In fact, 2 full cups of zucchini in the loaf!

Of course, there are other yummy ingredients in this bread that are worth mentioning. Unlike my Zucchini Muffins, I skipped the nuts and raisins and doubled-down on the chocolate. For this particular batch, I went for a natural cocoa powder rather than a dutch processed cocoa. Basically, it was what I had in the cabinet. I kept the cinnamon because cinnamon really seems to bring out the richness in chocolate. I like flavor enhancers in my chocolate. A little espresso powder, cinnamon, or steeped tea can make each slice incredibly rich and explode with chocolatey goodness. Try it out and experiment for fun!

And with all that, I had to keep it a little lighter without giving up the decadent taste. Therefore, applesauce was subbed for about half of the oil. I, personally, can’t go full applesauce.  I find that although you can substitute applesauce for oil or butter in a 1:1 ratio (1 cup =1 cup), the texture often suffers in baking. Certain recipes are also better equipped to handle the sauce.

Anytime I can find a way to get those extra veggies in our family’s diet is a good time. I mean, the zucchini cancels out the chocolate, right? No? Oh well, it is still delicious and I can smile knowing that.

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5 from 4 votes

Double Chocolate Zucchini Bread Recipe

Sinful and delicious, this Double Chocolate Zucchini bread will make you do a double-take! (insert cackle laugh) Even though it's loaded with garden fresh zucchini, the chocolate flavor and moist, dense texture take center stage here.

Prep Time30 mins

Cook Time50 mins

Total Time1 hr 50 mins

Course: Breakfast, Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: chocolate zucchini bread

Servings: 1 loaf

Calories: 515kcal

Ingredients

• 3 large eggs
• 1/2 cup applesauce
• 1/2 cup oil
• 1 1/4 cup White Sugar
• 3/4 cup Brown Sugar
• 2 tsp Vanilla
• 2 cups Zucchini shredded with a grater or food processor, and spread on paper towels for 30 minutes if the zucchini is super wet
• 2 1/2 cups All Purpose Flour
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder I used regular cocoa
• 1 tsp Salt
• 1 tsp Baking Soda
• 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 cup chocolate chips
• 1 cup walnuts optional

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350. Grease 2 5x9 bread loaf pans or muffin tins.
• In a mixing bowl, blend oil, applesauce, and eggs together. Add vanilla, sugar, and brown sugar. Mix until smooth.
• In a separate bowl, whisk flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon together. One cup at a time, add dry mixture to wet and blend before adding next cup until all are just mixed. Using a spoon, stir in the shredded zucchini. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts.
• Spoon batter into pans. Bake for 45-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow bread to cool completely in the pan set on a wire rack. Slice and serve when the bread has completely cooled or freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and serve at room temperature or zap it in the microwave for 15 seconds.

Nutrition

Serving: 1inch slice | Calories: 515kcal | Carbohydrates: 84.1g | Protein: 11.7g | Fat: 26g | Saturated Fat: 6.9g | Sodium: 446mg | Potassium: 44mg | Fiber: 4.5g | Sugar: 46g | Calcium: 7% | Iron: 21%

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