chocolate zucchini bread maria provenzano

If it has veggies in it, then it's healthy right?

Chocolate zucchini bread was one of my favorite things to eat growing up. Our old neighbors used to have an amazing recipe that was extremely rich and full of chocolate! I searched all of my mom's recipes for it and was not successful, so I took the challenge upon myself to make up my own recipe. This is NOTHING like my old neighbors recipe! Although I LOVED theirs, mine is much lighter and not as rich. With an underlying hint of orange flavor from fresh orange zest, and a crunchy crumbly topping this zucchini bread sets itself apart from the rest.

There are a few surprises that make this chocolate zucchini bread really special. First, there is the hint of fresh orange flavor that brings out the chocolate. Then, of course the crunchy topping! I have been adding "crumbles" to my recipes because I love the crunch it adds. I'm crazy about texture when it comes to my food, and I think the crumble on this zucchini bread makes it taste over-the-top amazing! The sour cream makes this zucchini bread perfectly rich and (dare I say) moist. I also use ALL brown sugar, because it is molasses based, which leaves the bread with an earthy rich flavor. Something else that is really surprising in this recipe is the chopped chocolate. Now, you can use chocolate chips and it will be great, but I LOVE adding in chopped chocolate (I’ve also done this in a recent cookie recipe, and it was a huge hit). The different size pieces spread more evenly in the batter, leaving you with chocolate flavor in each bite. The dark chocolate and orange together create layers of flavor without being overly sweet.

Quick Tip: Make sure your eggs and sour cream are room temperature so that everything will incorporate evenly. Also, don't skip the crumble...trust me on this one.

Chocolate Zucchini Bread with Oatmeal Cinnamon Crumble

Author:

Maria Provenzano

Serves:

2 loaves

This will make two small loafs of zucchini bread. I use a medium size loaf that is roughly 8.5"x4.5" You could use a 9" but make sure to keep an eye on it while baking since it could take less time. For the "chopped chocolate" you can buy a bar of good dark chocolate and carefully chop it with a sharp knife, then measure 1 1/2 cup.

Ingredients

1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour (if you don't want to use whole wheat you can use entirely all-purpose)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly grated orange zest (optional)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup brown sugar
2 cups grated zucchini
1/2 cup melted butter; cooled
3 eggs; room temperature
1/2 cup sour cream; room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cup chocolate; chopped if using a bar of chocolate or you can use chocolate chips
Topping
1/2 cup butter; melted and cooled
1/2 cup oats
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

Instructions

*Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
*Grate the zucchini
*In a large bowl combine the flours, cinnamon, salt, baking powder, baking soda, orange zest, cocoa powder, and brown sugar into a bowl
*In another bowl combine the cooled butter, sour cream, vanilla, and eggs
*Toss the grated zucchini in the flour mixture
*Stir the sour cream mixture into the flour/zucchini mixture
*Stir until just combined
*Fold in the chopped chocolate
*Spray the two loaf pans with a good amount of cooking spray
*Pour half of the mixture into each pan
*In a small bowl get the crumble ready by combing the oats, brown sugar, sugar, cinnamon, and flour together
*Stir with a fork and gradually pour in the melted butter
*Distribute the crumble evenly over the top of each loaf
*Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes, or until the middle is set and a toothpick comes out clean when inserted
*Allow to cool for about 10 minutes or so before taking it out of the pan