And We’ve Got A Home Run Here Folks!
Wow, the first time I pulled this loaf out of the oven I was quite surprised. I mean in the past I have had plenty of flops…and to be honest, this was my first attempt at this recipe creation, so I was expecting to have some tweaks before finalizing this recipe. To my surprise, I hit a home run first time out to bat! I mean really, how often does that happen? (Never!) 🙂
Summer is in full swing in my area and with summer comes zucchini and summer squashes. One of my favorite things to make is zucchini bread! I was quite challenged by myself to create a delicious organic chocolate zucchini bread recipe that was Paleo friendly, gluten free and grain free. I also wanted to make a loaf without flour, especially without coconut flour.
Why I Choose Not To Use Coconut Flour Anymore
I am not crazy about using coconut flour anymore. I have found coconut flour to be very inconsistent with final results because it all depends on the brand of coconut flour that one uses. Some brands are very dense, others are lighter. Even if you measure coconut flour on a scale, it still can be dramatically different depending on which brand one uses.
I receive more complaints with my recipes that use coconut flour. One it has a different texture than what many are used to. Two, you have to use a ton of eggs to help it rise and oftentimes I get an eggy taste to the dish.
Coconut flour has an extremely high fiber content and many have digestive issues when consuming coconut flour. Me personally, I do not digest coconut flour well. I can eat it in small doses, but too much and I start to suffer from digestive issues. How about you, have you noticed any digestive issues (gas, bloating, heavy feeling in the gut) when eating coconut flour?
If you do experience digestive issues, this is a sign that your body is not tolerating it and it might be best not to consume it.
Organic Chocolate Zucchini Bread Recipe
So let’s move onto this amazing recipe, shall we? I was inspired by two of my recipes to create this recipe. If you haven’t had a chance to try these out, I encourage you to. They are fantastic!
Paleo, Gluten Free and Grain Free Mini Muffins {2 versions}
Organic Flourless Peanut Butter and Jelly Pancakes
Both of these recipes do not use flour as a central ingredient. Instead, they use a nut butter.
The Star Ingredient
So today’s recipe showcases a new ingredient that many of you might not have. There are a few things that I would like to discuss this product. Have you noticed all the rave lately over Nutella?
I personally have never tried it. One time out of curiosity, I picked up a brand of chocolate hazelnut “Nutella like” butter at the store and I couldn’t believe how much sugar was in it! Not only that, it was filled with 
toxic ingredients…and many so-called health food blogs were promoting this! What?
So the last time I was at my health food store, I stumbled upon Justin’s Chocolate Hazelnut Blend. I turned it over to read the ingredients and I was pleasantly surprised to see: Dry roasted hazelnuts, dry roasted almonds, organic evaporated cane sugar, organic cocoa, organic cocoa butter, organic palm fruit oil, vanilla, and sea salt.
Were all of these ingredients perfect? No…but it has way less sugar and they focus on whole natural ingredients. Much better than the other chocolate hazelnut “Nutella” like brands out there. And remember folks, it is about balance. It is ok if it isn’t perfect. It clearly is a better choice than others.
I love hazelnuts, and love chocolate, and who doesn’t love almond butter too? So I thought this would make a perfect base for a delicious nutty organic chocolate zucchini bread recipe!
So if you need to get your hands on some of this, you can order it here: Justin’s Chocolate Hazelnut Blend. It truly makes a delicious loaf of chocolate zucchini bread! Don’t you just want to sink your teeth into a piece of this bread? YUM!
Have You Seen My New Cookbook Yet?
Like this recipe? Well, then you will LOVE my new cookbook: Gluten Free and Grain Free Breads, Batters and Doughs!
This is so much more than “just a cookbook”! In this book, I teach you how to bake with almond flour, nut butters, coconut flour, tapioca flour, arrowroot flour and even toasted quinoa flour! You will be an expert in gluten free and grain free baking after you read this cookbook, I promise!
There are tons of gluten free, grain free and Paleo recipes throughout this book! Get your copy today!!
Bonus!! For a limited time, we are giving our readers and extra 20% off! Just use coupon code healthy2014 at checkout!
Organic Chocolate Zucchini Bread Recipe {Paleo, Gluten Free and Grain Free}
Prep Time: 10 minutes- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
Yield: 10 pieces 1x
Category: dessert
Method: baking
Cuisine: american
Print Recipe
Pin RecipeDescription
This recipe is for the best chocolate zucchini bread recipe!
Ingredients
- 1 cup Justin’s chocolate hazelnut butter blend or if Paleo, use almond butter sweetened with 1 tbsp of maple syrup and 1-2 tbsp of cocoa powder | You Can Buy Nut Butter Here
- 1 cup shredded zucchini (squeeze excess water out of the shredded zucchini)
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tbsp grade b maple syrup
- 1 tbsp pure vanilla
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/8 tsp sea salt – You Can Buy It Here
- 1–2 tbsp mini chocolate chips (enjoy life)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 F.
- In a medium bowl combine the chocolate hazelnut butter, eggs, maple syrup, vanilla and sea salt and blend with a hand held mixer for 2 minutes on medium speed.
- Add baking soda and vinegar (will fizz up) and blend for 30 more seconds.
- Stir in shredded zucchini. If really watery, squeeze out excess water.
- Place in a lined or greased loaf pan. You can use one 5×9″ pan or 2 mini loaf pans.
- Top with 1-2 tbsp of mini chocolate chips.
- Bake for 23-28 minutes if you have mini loaf pans and 35-50 minutes for large loaf pan. Start testing with a toothpick at 35 minutes and when it comes out clean when inserted in the center, it is done.
- Allow to cool on a cooling rack and serve. You can also serve warm too.
Notes
The pictures in this post were made with mini loaf pans.
Equipment Needed:
Click Here To See A Video On How To Make Chocolate Zucchini Bread
Nutritional Information: Calories: 180 Fat: 13.3g Carbs: 13.6g Protein: 4.7g
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 piece
Update: I had several viewers that were having some difficulties with this recipe, so I did a quick video to show you how easy it is to make this zucchini bread.
Video ~ How To Make Homemade Chocolate Almond Butter & Chocolate Zucchini Bread
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me too!
I just discovered your site today and I also have a fresh zucchini I need to use. This recipe just might “hit the spot” 🙂
Welcome Debbie 🙂 A lot of new folks today, how did you learn of about us? You will love this recipe, super moist!
Just FYI, Justin’s is not organic.
@Tracy Yes Tracy, the nuts are not organic but all the other ingredients are organic making this a better option. Thanks for pointing this out.
Hi Halle, I made this bread today and it turned out great! It’s not too sweet and the texture is light. I didn’t have the hazlenut spread so I made the almond butter/maple syrup/cocoa powder substitution. I like the combo so much I probably won’t go to the trouble of buying what would be for me a single-tasker ingredient. I alsways have almond butter, unsweetened cocoa, and good maple syrup on hand. You invented a winner recipe! It’s terrific and very easy!
Annemarie A thanks for the feedback and so glad you enjoyed it! How much maple syrup and coco powder did you end up using? I think many others would enjoy that information. Thanks so much Annemarie!
hallecottis Annemarie A I added 1 TBSP maple syrup & 2 TBSP cocoa powder. Next time, I think I’ll try adding a few chocolate chips in the batter, too. I really liked the little bit of extra chocolate kick they added when I sprinkled some on top. But they didn’t overwhelm with choco power or sweetness. Here’s another bonus (from my perspective): I liked the “bread” texture of this recipe so much, I made a savory version. The only changes I made were omitting the cocoa, maple syrup & chocolate chips. It turned out great! Butter on a slice or another real food creamy spread is yummy, too. (Pimento cheese?)
Annemarie A You do know I am running into my kitchen like.right.now to make your version…Oh my, can’t wait! Thanks so much for sharing your adaptations with us!
hallecottis Annemarie A Good luck! One more note, I found that if you use a glass or dark-colored metal loaf pan it’s helps to reduce the oven temp to 375 degrees so there’s no over-cooking. The reduction in oven temp resulted in less crustiness on the outside of the loaf — in other words, a softer loaf.
I made this twice. Both times I made it in a regular loaf pan and the bread only turns out 1 inch high.
evmoran hmmm….did your vinegar and baking soda fizz up? I put mine in 2 mini loaf pans (pictured in this post).
hallecottis evmoran I thought that was pic of a regular pan. I will try the mini loaf pans next time. Yes, the vinegar and baking soda did fiz. Thanks for your help.
evmoran hallecottis pictures can be deceiving can’t they? I will note in this recipe that they are minis in the photos, thanks so much for bringing this up! Did it taste good even though it was 1″ high? 🙂
hallecottis evmoran The first time I made it , I mixed everything together in my mixer and I liked it the best. I will try it again. I just got more zuchinni in my CSA share today. Thanks!
hallecottis evmoran I’m going to take a stab at this dilemma because when I made the recipe (twice) it turned out great for me. Each time I used a regular 9″ x 5″ loaf pan. Now it didn’t rise to the top of the pan like a conventional flour-based zucchini or banana bread, but it was pretty close. Maybe the problem is how the ingredients are being measured? Baking can be so picky. I used a glass pyrex 1 cup liquid measure (8 oz) for the nut butter and and a standard 4 oz dry measure cup for the grated zucchini (squeezed of water a bit, but not squeezed dry). I may be totally off base. Just guessing…
Annemarie A hallecottis evmoran I think you are right on Annemarie A ! Thanks so much for sharing your experiences with us, you are right, baking can be very precise!
This was very good though admittedly, I got sidetracked by making my own Paleo almond butter mix (as directed), plus adding another 1/2 recipe amount to make more, that I forgot to add the extra 2 tablespoons of grade b syrup (in my case, 3 tablespoons.) But otherwise I was very impressed with how it rose and had the consistency of regular bread. I will be doing this again – the right way next time. Guess I will have to drizzle some maple on it instead for a bit.
OK. This is so good, regardless of my mistake that I ate the 2nd small loaf I had set aside – in one day!
Catherine Wylie Ha Ha Catherine, that so happen to us too! 🙂
This is truly outstanding cake. I dusted the top with coconut sugar, to add a tiny burst of sweetness. My children have eaten half of the loaf in less than 30 minutes. It’s rich, not too sweet, and nourishing. Thank you!!
@Sara So glad you and your family are enjoying it. I wonder if this could be made into a small cake using 8″ round cake pans. Worth a try, and maybe add a frosting of some sort…hmmm
hallecottis Frost it with some of the filling for that avocado coconut cream pie and stick the cake in the fridge to firm up. OMG that would be rich! Or else a cream cheese frosting. To die for! BTW, that pie filling, minus the crust, makes incredible chocolate pudding/mousse — especially when served in pretty wine glasses. Hmmmm, how would I know that? 🙂
I followed the recipe exactly, and I was rewarded with a chocolate egg bake. I became the laughing stock of my book club.
@Kelsey oh no…sounds like your zucchini was a bit watery. Make sure to squeeze out the excess water in the zucchini. If you do have a watery zucchini and you don’t squeeze it out, it will create a wet product.
Halle, maybe you could do a video for how to prepare this recipe? 🙂 I’m so puzzled why some folks are having problems with it because I think it’s pretty straightforward. But it’s true that a group of people can read or see the same thing, but each will interpret it a bit differently.
Annemarie A Great idea! My girls are home from school for 3 more weeks and then I can tackle a video!
I just made this recipe into muffins (baked for 17 minutes) and it turned out perfect! I also used one of the above suggestions and topped them with cream cheese frosting. Absolutely delicious, my husband and son said they were the best muffins ever! Thank You!!!
@Nicole So glad you enjoyed it. Did you make your own cream cheese frosting? If so, care to share the recipe here?
I just found Nocciolata Organic Hazelnut Spread when looking for something like Nutella in the natural foods section of my grocery store. It is so incredibly good that I can eat it straight from the jar! All ingredients are organic and it is made in Italy. Ingredients: cane sugar, hazelnut paste, sunflower oil, skim milk powder, cocoa powder, cocoa butter, sunflower lecithin, and vanilla extract.
I have everything setup to make your recipe in muffin cups after dinner tonight. Thanks!