I wasn’t sure I was going to bake anything with zucchini this summer. To be honest, it just sounded boring and kind of overdone. And let’s be real, why bake with zucchini when I could bake with peaches, you know? But then, I made this bread and it changed my mind about baking with zucchini forever and ever. If you think baking with zucchini is weird, I get that. BUT, I’m here to tell you that baking with zucchini can actually be a really good thing. Read, VERY GOOD. Here’s the story. I never had plans to bake anything with zucchini, but after asking you all on Instagram what you wanted to see in recipes this month, I got so many of you requesting a zucchini bread. So, after a little back and forth, and some recipe brainstorming, I decided I’d take the last two zucchini I had in the fridge (that were very much on their last leg) and give a new zucchini bread recipe a try. I’ve made banana zucchini bread, but never just zucchini bread. As in zucchini is really the main ingredient with nothing else to help it shine.
I was nervous, but I figured I really had nothing to lose…other than two zucchini past their prime. I tried a few things, played around with some flavors, jotted a few things down in my notebook, and about half a day later I had this bread. My kitchen smelled…well it smelled incredible. Nothing like zucchini, but everything like sweet, buttery, cinnamon-infused, chocolate bread. Almost fall-like, but with a mix of summer in the air too. Twas the perfect thing to bake on a very rainy day. And then? I cut into the warm bread, added whipped browned butter (the best), and I was SOLD. Nothing at that moment could be better. This bread. You guys – it’s GOOD!
Best part? It could not be easier to make. You need ONE bowl, 10 (pantry staple) ingredients, 20 minutes of time to prep, and about an hour for baking. First step, the zucchini. Here’s the thing, when baking with zucchini it’s really important to remove any of the excess moisture (so the water). You want to do this so your baked goods don’t end up super dense and watered down. Simply shred the zucchini, let it sit on paper towels for 10 minutes, then ring the zucchini out to squeeze out all the water. It’s really easy. The drier you can get the zucchini, the lighter your loaf is going to be.
Now that your zucchini is squeezed of excess water, the rest is so quick and easy. In a bowl, mix up melted coconut oil, a couple eggs, honey – for some sweetness, and a splash of vanilla. Then stir in the zucchini. Now add in some whole wheat pastry flour, almond flour, baking soda, cinnamon, plus a touch of salt. Last up, add chocolate chunks. Bake. Wait…this is the hardest part, so do something fun while you wait. Maybe your favorite TV show? Work through emails? Or if you’re like me, stand by the oven impatiently waiting for the timer to go off. Yes, I am that person.
Once the bread is out of the oven, you can let it cool or you can enjoy warm. You all know I’m all about a warm loaf of bread. So after letting this cool in the pan for 5 or so minutes, I turned it out onto a cutting board and made the first slice.
The bread comes out steaming and smells so good. It actually looks good too…I was nervous the zucchini would turn the bread a weird color. And the taste? The warm and sweet hints of cinnamon, together with the puddles of chocolate are so delicious! Oh, and the texture? Super soft and so incredibly moist. Every last bite leaves you wanting another. You can make this bread even better with a smear of butter. Ok, and maybe a drizzle of honey too, but it’s truly delicious on its own as well.
My favorite part? This bread is really pretty healthy too. Well, healthy to my standards at least. Honey is the sweetener, coconut oil the fat, whole flour + almond flour make it whole grain, and yeah, it’s made with zucchini. So basically we can eat this for breakfast every day until we move on to pumpkin bread. Sounds like a plan to me. Happiest Tuesday baking to you all!
Lastly, if you make this Zucchini Chocolate Chunk Coconut Bread bread be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite! Watch The How To Video:
