Prolific Summer Squash

by Girl Gone Domestic

I make the same mistake every spring…I plant too many Zucchini/Summer squash plants. The recipes online are as overwhelming and diverse as squash itself. If you ask my kids, the squash was tolerable in Pasta Primavera, almost gagging (this is their opinion, not mine) when sauteed with green beans in olive oil, and not too terrible in zucchini bread, but one recipe shines out above all others…for this, they beg. My husband had been given a similar recipe long before we were married by some friends, but the whereabouts of it is unknown. Thanks be to the Google machine for landing me on this recipe (which I have adapted).

Double Chocolate Zucchini Bread

adapted from a recipe posted on Baking Bites

2 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
1 cup evaporated cane juice crystals
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp sea salt
2 large eggs
1/3 cup coconut oil
3/4 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 medium zucchini, shredded (1 – 1 1/4 cups) (I used yellow crookneck squash)
1 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan (I adore my mini loaf pan, it cuts the baking time in half, and they’re so cute).
In a large bowl, sift together flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder and salt.
In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, coconut oil, milk and vanilla. Add to dry ingredients and stir until almost fully combined. Add in the zucchini and chocolate chips and stir until evenly distributed in the batter (batter should be fairly thick).
Bake for 50-55 minutes (or less if making mini loaves), or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with only moist crumbs attached.
Turn loaf out of pan and cool on a wire rack before slicing.
Makes 1 loaf.