Large, green, and very prickly zucchini plants dominate our garden. An ongoing battle to use up these green courgettes before new ones produce, ensues. Onslaught after onslaught occurs till we are almost ready to wave the white flag of defeat. Fried zucchini, grilled zucchini, zucchini noodles, zucchini soup, and scrambled eggs with zucchini are just a few of the methods in our arsenal. Out of the many, many, many, ways we have executed zucchini, it would be safe to say that chocolate zucchini bread is by far my all time favorite. Once this recipe was discovered, zucchini stood no chance. Our hunger for chocolate zucchini bread grew, and the battle was won.

Preparing for Battle

To begin the process you must first shred the zucchini. This green vegetable is 95 percent water, making it an excellent candidate for a soft and very moist bread. Though it is best to use small zucchini in most dishes, breads are an excellent way to use up giant zucchini. Large zucchini are tougher, but once baked into a bread you would never know it was there, as long as it is shredded. If not shredded the skin will turn tough and the centers will turn into a mushy blob, making for a nasty surprise as you bite into the bread.

All a person has to do with these large green courgettes to prepare them for tasty confections is; remove any marks or bad spots, cut them in half, remove the seeds, and shred it using a cheese grater. If you wind up with large chunks of skin pull these out, as they will be tough. Let your shredded zucchini rest in a colander for a few minutes, and allow the excess water to drain before using. You are now ready to make the bread!

The battle begins

Arm yourself with these ingredients:

2 large eggs

1/2 cup honey

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon espresso powder, optional

1/2 cup baking cocoa, or Dutch-process cocoa

1 2/3 cup flour

2 cups shredded zucchini, gently pressed

1 cup chocolate chips

These are the makings of victory.

First you will mix your eggs, honey, and vegetable oil until smooth. Once you have conquered this; add your vanilla, espresso powder, baking soda, baking powder, and cocoa. Beat these until you have a smooth dark chocolaty mixture, and then add the flour. Once these ingredients are thoroughly blended, mix in your zucchini. Now it is time for the final step, the chocolate chips. Stir in these tidbits of chocolaty goodness. If you feel like kicking it up a notch also add a cup of peanut butter chips. Your batter should be smooth except for the zucchini and chocolate chips.

Pour the batter into a greased loaf pan and bake at 350 for 60-75 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean, except for chocolate from the chocolate chips.

The sweet taste of Victory

Sweet sweet victory! You have won the battle! Once things cool down, pour yourself a well deserved cup of coffee. Cut a slab off that loaf and enjoy! The rich dark chocolate flavor paired with coffee, is the sweet taste of victory. Let those zucchini take over the garden; you are ready for them! With this recipe you will feel ready to take on a world full of zucchini.

For a step by step recipe card on double chocolate zucchini bread, visit our recipes page