Double Chocolate Zucchini Bread

Can someone find my mojo please?

I feel like I’ve lost it. No, I definitely lost it.

And it’s not just related to the blog but to everything. Cooking, cleaning, crafting, thinking, etc. I thought I’d have the ‘nesting’ bug by now but nothing yet. Barely even an itch to get all nesty. I mean I have plans to paint & decorate The Bean’s room but it’s still all just chaos now with us dumping stuff in there as we get goodies. As well, the massive rabbits’ cage is still in the room, but first gotta get their spot ready in the basement (it’s finished like a den- we’re not just stuffing them in the basement and forgetting about them!) Either way, I can’t get my head around the list of crap to tackle to make all the dominoes fall into place to create a nice little nursery or meal or garden or blah.

Which is exactly why making a new recipe not related to a Thirsty Thursday or Sprint Cup Snacks post is a big shocker. But I had a pile of zucchini and I couldn’t let myself just let it go to waste while I was busy not eating it for dinner since take out at the office for working late, vendor dinners, and mac and cheese with fruit are typical dinners for me lately. I do eat well I just don’t have any interest in actually cooking. Cool.

Well, I managed to get my act together and make this ah-mazing bread. It is totally healthy too since there is zucchini in there. Right? That is what I kept telling myself as I took sliver after sliver off of this bread.

Even if you don’t have zucchini on hand that you need to use up I suggest you run out and get some so you can make this really rich, moist bread. You won’t be sorry!

 Double Chocolate Zucchini Bread

Makes 1 loaf (8 1/2″ x 4 1/2″)

Ingredients

• 2 large eggs
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon instant coffee
• 1/3 cup cocoa powder or Dutch-process cocoa
• 1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 cups shredded, unpeeled zucchini, gently pressed on a colander over a bowl or sink to release some of its moisture
• 1 1/4 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips, save the 1/4 cup for sprinkling on top of bread

Process

1. Preheat the oven to 350. Lightly grease an 8 1/2″ x 4 1/2″ loaf pan.
2. In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs, honey, oil, sugar, and vanilla until smooth.
3. Incorporate the salt, baking soda, baking powder, espresso powder, cocoa, and flour. Stir in the zucchini and chocolate chips. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Scatter the reserved 1/4 cup of chocolate chips on top of the batter.
4. Bake the bread for 65 to 75 minutes, until the loaf tests done when you insert a toothpick into the center of the loaf and it is clean upon it’s removal.
5. Let the bread cool for 10 to 15 minutes before turning it out of the pan onto a rack. Cool completely before slicing; store well-wrapped, at room temperature.

Slightly adapted from Recipe Diaries