Zucchini is likely to be the most known variety of summer squash. It has thin green skin and tender white flesh. Zucchini and other summer squash taste so good sautéed in any summer dish. (Other varieties of summer squash include pattypan, crookneck, and straight neck yellow squash.) One of my favorite ways to cook up that summer zucchini is in this Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread recipe. Yum! 😋
BTW – This recipe also makes spectacular muffins! 😉
On a recent visit back home to my parents’ house, my mom sent me home with a bag full of zucchini from her garden. I knew right away what I wanted to do with some of it.
Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread.
This is a family favorite recipe that my mom adapted from a Gooseberry Patch cookbook recipe quite a few years ago when I was a youngster. 👧 I remember eating mini loaves of this yummy bread every summer when the zucchini was plentiful in our large garden. 👩🌾 The best part was knowing that my hard work in our family garden paid off to produce all of the zucchini used in this tasty bread. On a side note, I once told my elementary school teacher and class that I spent my entire summer doing hard labor in the garden. 🤷♀️
Living in an apartment means no yard for a big garden. 😞 Therefore, planting a garden is one of the main things I’m looking forward to whenever I buy a house in the future. Along with a bigger kitchen… 😬
This year I decided to try planting a small balcony garden in pots. So lucky that we have a nice sized balcony. I have had pretty good luck with my tomato and pepper plants. But no luck with the zucchini or cucumber plants. 😞 But hey… that’s what mom’s garden is for, right? In other words, free organic zucchini!
For the full instructions and ingredient measurements, jump down to the full recipe by pushing the button above. Keep scrolling for step-by-step picture instructions.
Recipe and Instructions
Firstly, you should preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Next, lightly grease 2 bread/ loaf pans with cooking spray. You can also use muffin pans or mini loaf pans.
Wash and cut 1 large zucchini into small chunks. Place the zucchini chunks in a food processor and chop until fine small pieces are achieved.
However, don’t chop for too long. You want some liquid (zucchini juice?😬) but not all of the zucchini to be liquified.
One medium-sized zucchini should make roughly 2 cups of finely chopped squash.
Set aside your shredded zucchini for just a moment, while we get started on the quick bread batter.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the eggs and brown sugar. Mix well until fully combined. This can be done by hand or with an electric mixer. For example, I like using my KitchenAid stand mixer. It makes baking so easy!
Measure 2 cups of the shredded zucchini and add to the mixture. After that, mix in the applesauce and vanilla.
In a separate bowl, mix together all of the dry ingredients. Cinnamon. Salt. Baking Soda. Baking Powder. Flour.
Mix in the dry ingredients until fully incorporated. Last of all, stir in the chocolate chips.
Pour the chocolate chip zucchini bread batter in the baking pans of your choice.
Finally, near the end of baking, I like to sprinkle some more chocolate chips on top of the bread.
Muffins take about 20-25 minutes to bake. But always test with a wooden toothpick or cake tester for doneness.
Baking time will differ and need to be adjusted based on the size of your pan. For mini loaf pans cooking time may take about 25-35 minutes. Start with 25 minutes and check with a toothpick for doneness. If the toothpick comes out clean, they are done! If the toothpick is wet, then put the mini loaves back in the oven for another 5 minutes and test again.
Let the zucchini bread cool before removing from the pan slicing.
Whole Wheat Flour:
In order to add a little more fiber into your diet, try using half all-purpose white flour (1.5 cups) and half whole wheat flour (1.5 cups). This is how my mom always used to make it! I don’t always keep whole wheat flour in my pantry, and this recipe works well with all white flour also!
Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread
Ingredients
- 3 Eggs
- 2 cups Brown Sugar packed
- 2 cups Unpeeled Zucchini finely shredded/chopped
- 3/4 cup Applesauce unsweetened
- 2 tsp Vanilla
- 2 tsp Cinnamon ground
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Baking Soda
- 1 tsp Baking Powder
- 3 cups Flour
- 1 cup Mini Chocolate Chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease with cooking spray 2 loaf pans or muffin pans.
- In a food processor, finely chop one medium-to-large zucchini. You can also grate the zucchini with a box grater. Measure out 2 cups of the chopped/grated zucchini and set aside. Do not drain.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the brown sugar and eggs. Next, add in the zucchini, applesauce, and vanilla.
- In a separate bowl combine all of the dry ingredients: cinnamon, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and flour.
- Mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until fully incorporated.
- Lastly, stir in the chocolate chips.
- Pour the batter into the greased baking dishes. You can use 2 loaf pans, muffin pans, or mini loaf pans. Bake the 2 loaves at 350 for about 55-60 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted into the center of the bread comes out clean. Cooking time will need to be adjusted for other pans. Muffins generally take 20-25 minutes, and mini loaf pans take about 25-35 minutes. Cool and refrigerate for easy slicing. Zucchini bread or muffins freeze well if tightly wrapped in plastic wrap and placed in a freezer type zipper storage bag.
If you made this recipe please let me know how it turned out for you! Leave a message in the comments below and don’t forget to share this recipe with your friends if you enjoyed it!
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