slices of zucchini next to small loaves of chocolate zucchini bread topped with chocolate chips and chopped pecans

Moist Chocolate Zucchini Bread Baby Loaves

Summer’s ubiquitous green vegetable mysteriously vanishes in this incredibly moist delicious chocolate zucchini bread. These mini loaves bake up quickly and are the perfect size for sharing for snacks. If your backyard squash is going crazy in the heat this year, I can think of no better use for it than to put it into this chocolatey bread or Zucchini Cookies.

Why This Chocolate Zucchini Bread Will Beat Your Old Recipe

mini loaves of chocolate zucchini bread on wire rack, piece of zucchini
  1. Spiced Pecans: I put my Maple Candied Pecans in everything from the best Pecan Sandies to Butter Pecan Ice Cream. Let me tell you, they are force multipliers for texture and flavor. My goodness they’re good.
  2. So Moist: Zucchini really is very good at adding moisture to baked goods. Since it’s pretty neutral in flavor, you’ll get to offload some of it in this recipe AND get a lusciously moist chocolate bread to boot.
  3. Triple Chocolate: There is cocoa, chocolate chips, and melted chocolate in this bread, for extra chocolate flavor.
  4. Not Too Sweet: There is just enough sugar in this bread to add in moisture and balance the flavor, but not so much that it’s cloying or too much like cake.
  5. A Little Bit of Spice: I’ve always been a fan of a little bit of warming spices with chocolate. They boost the depth of the chocolate flavor. Here, I choose my Pumpkin Pie Spice. There’s not so much spice that this bread takes like a slice of Iced Pumpkin Bread, but just enough that you’ll start hoping a little for Fall.
stacked loaves of chocolate zucchini bread on plate next to zucchini slices

Chocolate Zucchini Bread Ingredients

  • Butter
  • Cocoa powder, preferably Dutch process (like Hershey’s Special Dark or Droste)
  • Eggs
  • Unsweetened chocolate (like Baker’s or an extra dark 90-95% chocolate bar)
  • Brown sugar
  • Vanilla paste or vanilla extract

Equipment

How to Make Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread

  • Chop: Chop the unsweetened chocolate into chocolate chip sized pieces. Also roughly chop the pecans.
  • Melt: Melt the butter with the cocoa. Zap the unsweetened chocolate in a small cup in the microwave until it’s partially melted–about 45 seconds. Mix it into the butter/cocoa.
  • Mix the Wet Ingredients: Mix the eggs with the brown sugar and vanilla extract until the eggs are smooth. Stir in the melted butter and chocolate.
  • Grate the Zucchini: Grate the zucchini into the wet batter.
  • Mix the Dry Ingredients: Mix the flour with the baking powder, baking soda, salt, and pumpkin pie spice.
  • Finish the Batter: Add the flour, most of the chocolate chips, and most of the pecans to the wet ingredients. Stir just until the flour disappears.
  • Divide the Batter: Divide the batter amongst the cavities in your mini loaf pan

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    . Sprinkle each loaf with the reserved chocolate chips and pecans.
  • Bake: Bake the loaves for 28-30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of each loaf comes out clean.
closeup of chocolate zucchini bread in silicone baking pan

Chocolate Zucchini Bread Variations

  1. Full Sized Loaves: Divide the batter between two 9×5 loaf pans

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    instead. You’ll need to increase the baking time slightly to about 40-50 minutes.
  2. Chocolate Zucchini Sheet Cake: Bake the batter in a 9×13 pan. Bake for about 30-35 minutes. Frost it with a batch of Thick Ganache for Cookies or top it with the best Whipped Cream Frosting.
  3. Chocolate Zucchini Muffins: Fill 12 muffin papers with the batter inside a muffin pan. Bake for 20-25 minutes.
  4. Chocolate Zucchini Pancakes: Add 1/4 cup of milk to the batter to thin it out a bit. Spread out the batter on a hot buttered griddle. Drizzle over Hot Fudge Sauce to serve!
  5. Swap Out Spice: This bread is equally good with Pumpkin Pie Spice, Chai Spice Blend, Apple Pie Spice or plain old cinnamon. You can even use instant espresso powder

    (Affiliate)

    in place of the spice.
Print
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slices of zucchini next to small loaves of chocolate zucchini bread topped with chocolate chips and chopped pecans

Moist Chocolate Zucchini Bread Mini Loaves


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  • Author: Elizabeth Farr
  • Total Time: 45 minutes
  • Yield: 8 mini loaves 1x

Description

The most tender chocolate bread has a summer secret in grated zucchini that adds extra moisture to the bread and helps you offload your bumper crop that’s currently taking over your garden.  You’ll never know the zucchini is in there with the triple chocolate flavor.  It’s a nice way to eat your vegetables!


Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 stick butter (113 g)
  • 1/4 cup Dutch process cocoa powder (Hershey’s Special Dark or Droste), (20 g)
  • 2 ounces unsweetened chocolate (57 g)
  • 3 large eggs
  • 2/3 cup dark brown sugar (141 g)
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla paste or vanilla extract
  • 1 and 3/4 cups all-purpose flour (227 g)
  • 1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (or chai spice blend, apple pie spice, or cinnamon)
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 zucchini, about 8 ounces (227 g)
  • 1 cup chocolate chips (170 g)
  • 1/2 cup pecans (52 g), (Maple Candied Pecans are extra nice here)


Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 F (180 C).

If you’re using metal loaf pans

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, spray each with cooking spray, then cut a piece of parchment

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to fit up the bottom and long sides of the pan. Press each piece of parchment

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in place along the bottom so that the parchment

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sticks up over the top edges.  If you’re using a silicone mini loaf pan

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, it won’t need any prep.

Prep the mix-ins

  1. Chop the unsweetened chocolate into chocolate chip sized pieces.
  2. Roughly chop the pecans.

Melt the Butter

  1. Melt the butter with the cocoa. melting butter and cocoa
  2.  Zap the chopped unsweetened chocolate in a small cup in the microwave until it’s partially melted–about 45 seconds.
  3. Mix the chocolate into the butter/cocoa.

Mix the Wet Ingredients

  1. Mix the eggs with the brown sugar and vanilla extract until the eggs are smooth. whisking eggs, vanilla, and brown sugar into butter and chocolate
  2. Grate the zucchini into the eggs.  grating zucchini into batter for zucchini bread
  3. Stir in the melted butter and chocolate. mixing melted chocolate and grated zucchini into batter for chocolate zucchini bread

Mix the Dry Ingredients

Mix the flour with the baking powder, baking soda, salt, and pumpkin pie spice.

Finish the Batter

  1.  Add the flour, most of the chocolate chips, and most of the pecans to the wet ingredients. mixing flour, chocolate chips and pecans into batter
  2. Stir just until the flour disappears.

Bake the Loaves

  1.  Divide the batter amongst the cavities in your mini loaf pan. chocolate zucchini bread in pan before baking topped with pecans and chocolate chips
  2. Sprinkle each loaf with the reserved chocolate chips and pecans.
  3. Bake the loaves for 28-30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of each loaf comes out clean.  closeup of chocolate zucchini bread in silicone baking pan
  4. Cool the loaves on a wire rack for about 15 minutes and then pop them out of the pans onto the rack to finish cooling completely.mini loaves of chocolate zucchini bread on wire rack, piece of zucchini

Serving and Storing Chocolate Zucchini Bread 

  1. The breads are best eaten the day they’re made.  Sprinkle the loaves with powdered sugar and serve slices with good butter or your favorite nut butter.
  2. Freeze any leftover breads in a plastic bag with a piece of parchment wrapped around each loaf.  Thaw loaves on the counter for an hour or reheat them right on the parchment sheet in a toaster oven at 350 for about 10-15 minutes.

Notes

Chocolate Zucchini Bread Variations

  1. Full Sized Loaves: Divide the batter between two 9×5 loaf pans

    (Affiliate)

    instead. You’ll need to increase the baking time slightly to about 40-50 minutes.
  2. Chocolate Zucchini Sheet Cake: Bake the batter in a 9×13 pan. Bake for about 30-35 minutes. Frost it with a batch of Thick Ganache for Cookies or top it with the best Whipped Cream Frosting.

  3. Chocolate Zucchini Muffins: Fill 12 muffin papers with the batter inside a muffin pan. Bake for 20-25 minutes.

  4. Chocolate Zucchini Pancakes: Add 1/4 cup of milk to the batter to thin it out a bit. Spread out the batter on a hot buttered griddle. Drizzle over Hot Fudge Sauce to serve!

  5. Swap Out Spice: This bread is equally good with Pumpkin Pie Spice, Chai Spice Blend, Apple Pie Spice or plain old cinnamon. You can even use instant espresso powder

    (Affiliate)

    in place of the spice.
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 30 minutes
  • Category: Morning breads
  • Method: Oven
  • Cuisine: American

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