Chocolate Zucchini Bread

Here is the final recipe from our Lammas dinner, keeping the chocolate theme and honoring the harvest challenge of what to do with all the zucchini?! Baked into muffins or small loaves these pack into on-the-go breakfasts or sack lunches for professionals and students alike.

The mildness of the Dutch cocoa carries the orange zest and lets the cinnamon shine. The trio honors the South western blending of the Spanish (oranges), Native (zucchini), Aztec (chocolate), and European (cinnamon) cultures.

We eat it plain, but I've served it for tea by spritzing it with orange blossom water and a sprinkle of turbinado sugar. If more zucchini appears on my door step this season I may play with some different glazes for it.

Chocolate Zucchini Bread

16 oz zucchini, chopped

4 oz coconut oil

14 oz or 2 c organic cane sugar

3 eggs

2 egg yolks

2 tsp vanilla

4 oz or 1 c walnut pieces

12 oz or 2 ¼ c Pamela's gluten-free flour mix

3 oz or ½ c potato starch

2 1/8 oz or ½ c cocoa powder, dutched

2 ¼ tsp baking powder

2 tsp baking soda

1 1/3 tsp sea salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tbsp Penzey's orange peel or zest from one fragrant orange

4 oz coconut milk

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees with the racks in the lower third of the oven.

If using dried orange peel place in coconut milk to rehydrate.

Lightly grease preferred pans with coconut oil. Parchment line the bottom of any round pans you may be using.

Puree zucchini in food processor. Scrape down the bowl.

Add the walnuts, puree until smooth. Scrape down the bowl.

Add coconut oil, sugar, eggs, egg yolks, and vanilla. Puree for two minutes, then scrape down the bowl.

In a large bowl, whisk all the dry ingredients together. Then, yes, whisk them a bit more.

Add the flour mixture and the coconut milk to the processor, lightly pulse until just incorporated.

Spoon into pans and bake.

Bake muffins or bundt-shaped muffins for 20 minutes or until tooth pick comes out clean.

Bake 4” bundts for 30 minutes.

Bake 6” spring form rounds or two 8x4 loaves for 50 minutes.

This batch of batter is enough to bake two 8x4 loaves or 30 muffins or twelve 4” bundts.

Mixing this bread with a food processor for the texture of a mild chocolate cake has the side benefit of hiding the zucchini, if you don't tell no one will ever know.

Stand mixer directions:

Grate the zucchini on the large side of the box grater, it takes less time than you'd expect. Set aside.

Mix the coconut oil, sugar and vanilla until smooth. Scrape down the bowl.

Add the sugar, beating until smooth. Scrape down the bowl.

Add in the eggs and egg yolks, beat on medium-high for two minutes.

Add the zucchini, mix until just incorporated. Scrape down the bowl.

Add the walnuts.

Whisk together the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Whisk until fully incorporated and then whisk a bit more.

Alternately add the flour mixture to the bowl, beating on low speed, with zested coconut milk.

Beat until just blended.

This method yields a more traditional appearing quick bread with the zucchini shreds and walnuts clearly visible.