Chocolate Zucchini Bread Recipe

We recently moved back to the Midwest from sunny Southern California. Although I miss the ocean and mountains, I am thrilled to be closer to family! One of the benefits of being so close to family is the ability to "stop" by and raid my father's garden.

Looking for inspiration for a breakfast pastry, I gathered up my camera and the kids, and drove up to his house. I was very pleasantly surprised by the abundance of tomatoes, but tomato muffins did not sound appealing to any of us, so we continued our hunt. Beneath large green leaves I spied a very large zucchini, and then a second one. Perfect! Zucchini bread it is! The moisture from the zucchini keeps the bread moist for days, and even after it has gone past its prime I have been known to make french toast out of the leftovers. But that's another post...

zucchini squash blossom

squash blossom

Zucchini bread on its own is perfectly delicious, but add some good chocolate and Beanilla vanilla bean paste and it became superb!

Beanilla vanilla paste is a 2x concentrate of Bourbon and Tahitian vanilla beans. The complexity of the Bourbon bean, with hints of chocolate and nuts, pairs beautifully with the floral-fruitiness of the Tahitian bean. I love to use the paste because of the potency of the vanilla and the flecks of vanilla it leaves visible in your product.

Zucchini Bread

Chocolate Zucchini Bread Recipe

Ingredients:

  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 3 eggs (room temp)
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 1/2 cup melted butter (salted)
  • 2 1/4 cups white sugar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons Beanilla vanilla paste
  • 1 cup chocolate chunks (I prefer callebaut)
  • 2 cups grated zucchini
  • 1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Directions:

Grease and flour two 8 x 4 inch pans. (I used an individual brownie pan to add some interest) Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Sift flour, salt, baking powder, soda, and cinnamon together in a bowl. Beat eggs, oil, vanilla, and sugar together in a large bowl. Add sifted ingredients to the creamed mixture, and beat well. Stir in zucchini, chocolate chunks and nuts until well combined. Pour batter into prepared pans. Once cooled drizzle with melted chocolate and let set until firm.

  1. Bake for 40 to 60 minutes, or until tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan on rack for 20 minutes. Remove bread from pan, and completely cool.