Zucchini. Zucchini. Zucchini.

If you’ve ever grown this vegetable you know that once it starts, it just keeps coming and coming. I actually find it quite challenging to create enough zucchini dishes to utilize all that is produced. Momma always said, “waste not, want not.” And so I find myself tossing “large” zucchinis into my compost or compiling them in a bin for my mom’s friend’s chickens. We saute up many of the young zucchinis and I try to make as many baked goods with all the in-betweens. Yesterday I whipped up a delicious, moist chocolate zucchini bread.

Once I grated the zucchini I realized I had quite a lot and decided to double the batch which yielded one loaf of bread and two dozen muffins. I wrapped the loaf in saran and froze it for an early morning craving. I brought the muffins with me on a recent camp trip I took with my nieces and nephews. The kids loved sitting around the campfire eating chocolaty muffins and roasting s’mores for breakfast. I mean seriously… does it get any better than that?

I’m not certain, but believe this is a family recipe passed down from my Aunt Val. I modified it slightly with the addition of chocolate chips and shredded coconut.

Chocolate Zucchini Bread
1 c sugar
1 c brown sugar
1 c canola oil
1 tsp vanilla
2 c grated zucchini (peel and all)
2 c flour
3 eggs
1 c chopped nuts
2 oz unsweetened chocolate
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 c unsweetened shredded coconut
1 c semi-sweet chocolate chips

Beat eggs until smooth and lemon in color. Beat in sugars and oil. Melt chocolate. Stir in with zucchini. Add chocolate zucchini mixture and vanilla to egg mixture. Sift dry ingredients into wet ingredients. Add nuts, coconut and chocolate chips. Mix until combined.
Bake in 2 well greased 9×5 inch loaf pans or bundt cake pan. Bake at 375 for 50 to 60 minutes. Cool 20 minutes and turn out on rack.

Enjoy with morning sun!