Fall is here and my garden is in full harvest mode. I really thought that by now my zucchini plants would have given up. Ha! I walked through them today and couldn't believe all the new blossoms and new little zucchinis starting to grow! There are a few large ones (great for baking) still on the plants so I wanted to dig in today.
I was craving something sweet. Let's face it. I'm always craving something sweet. I found a recipe for chocolate zucchini bread on twopeasandtheirpod. I made a few tiny alterations to the recipe.
I like baking with shredded zucchini because it adds so much moisture to whatever you are baking. Sometimes I will peel the zucchini first and other times I shred the whole thing. If you have picky eaters, I'd suggest peeling it first. The peel doesn't change the flavor at all but chances are they will see it in the dish if there are green flecks. Today, I started by peeling the zucchini.
Another thing to keep in mind with zucchini is the water content. It adds a lot of moisture to dishes but sometimes it can add too much. You need to use your judgment. If it is very wet when you shred it, give it a squeeze to get rid of a little of the water.
Ok, ready for the recipe?
1 cup flour
1/2 cup cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon sea salt (I actually used kosher salt)
2 large eggs
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled (I didn't have unsalted so I used regular)
1/4 cup canola, vegetable, or melted coconut oil (I used coconut oil)
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups packed shredded zucchini
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, divided (I used milk chocolate)
I decided to add 3 drops of Peppermint Vitality Essential Oil (Young Living is the only brand I trust).
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x5 bread pan.
Stir together the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
In another bowl, add eggs, butter, oil, vanilla, and brown sugar. Add in the essential oil. Stir.
Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Don't overtax. Stir in the zucchini. Stir in 3/4 cup of chocolate chips.
Spread the batter into the pan and sprinkle the rest of the chocolate chips on top. Bake for 50-60 minutes (mine took 60). Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Remove from pan and allow to cool before slicing.
I hope you are prepared for how much zucchini you are going to want in the future. Ha! This turned out delicious! My son liked it and my daughter squealed and said "oh mama! It's really good!" while she gave me a thumbs up. Ha! I'd say this recipe passed the test.
*I can only speak to the safety of ingesting Young Living's Vitality line of essential oils.
No comments:
Post a Comment