Healthy Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread

I love zucchini bread and I especially love any excuse to add chocolate chips to a recipe.  But all the recipes I have are loaded with sugar and other unhealthy things so I had to come up with my own.  This recipe is the perfect balance of sweet but not too sweet and super moist.  My kids ate it up so fast that I made a second batch within a week.  It was a great way to use up the last of the zucchini from my garden.

Let’s get cooking…

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees and grease 2 loaf pans, or grease or line a muffin pan, or one of each.  Grate 2 1/2 – 3 cups of zucchini (about 2 medium sized zuchini).  I always use closer to 3 cups for maximum vegetable content but it will work with less too.  Grating takes quite a bit longer than shredding but the results are SO MUCH better!!  It is totally worth it.  My kids can’t even tell that there are vegetables present.  This also applies to carrots.  Once my kids have tried my baked goods and like it, then I tell them that it’s loaded with vegetables.  It makes them think of vegetables as delicious instead of a gross requirement!  I chose to peel most of the skin off the zucchini in this picture because it was getting a little old and the skin looked questionable in spots.  Normally I like to leave the skin on, for maximum nutritional value.  After you get it all grated, set the zucchini aside in a bowl or on a cutting board so that the excess liquid drains, but don’t squeeze it all out.  The juice from the zucchini keeps this bread incredibly moist and flavorful, not to mention, packed with nutrients.

Then mix together the dry ingredients in a large bowl.  I chose to make this batch gluten-free and use my own Gluten-Free Flour recipe but it will work well with regular wheat flour as well.  My favorite is Bob’s Red Mill Whole Wheat Pastry Flour.  It’s 100% whole grain but doesn’t taste so whole grainy so its great for sweet baked goods.

Next, melt the coconut oil in a medium sized bowl.  Then add the eggs making sure to scramble quickly after you add them so that the coconut oil doesn’t get cold and harden.  Then add the maple syrup, coconut sugar, applesauce, and vanilla.

Now add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients along with the zucchini (pour off any excess liquid first), chocolate chips and walnuts (optional) and stir just until all the ingredients are combined.  My kids prefer no nuts so I always mix it up with no nuts, pour half out into one loaf pan, and then add the nuts and fill the second loaf pan.  Then spread evenly.

Bake at 325 degrees for 50 – 60 minutes for loaf pans or 20-30 minutes for muffins.  They are done when they lose the sheen on top.  Don’t expect a toothpick to come out clean.  It will probably either be covered in melted chocolate (Mmmmmm) or a few crumbs will stick because it is SUPER moist.

Spread with coconut butter and enjoy!