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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Alright, so I did a video on how to make this bread. It is a quick video 🙂 https://wholelifestylenutrition.com/recipes/condiments-sauces/video-recipe-chocolate-zucchini-bread-gluten-free-grain-free-and-paleo/
hallecottis Oh that’s great! Well done! It will be super for folks to see how easy it really is. BTW, I’m on my second loaf of the chocolate version (added approx 2 TBSP choco chips to the batter) and it’s awesome! II’m liking it best when it’s kept chilled in the fridge. I’m also on my second loaf of the savory non-chocolate version. It’s so good with a ricotta cheese-deviled ham spread that I made up on the fly — with a cup of tea it’s a great breakfast for me (with a bonus of being low carb).
hallecottisThanks again for the video. I figured out what I was doing wrong. I used my kitchenaide mixer and you mixed the ingredients by hand. This time I mixed everything by hand and it is still in the oven but it is so much thicker than my first 2 attempts. Thanks!!
If anyone wonders (like I did) how this would be made with peanut butter… I made the substitution and I like it just fine. Sort of a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup vibe, but not too strong on the peanut butter flavor. I like the almond butter version the best, but if I didn’t have it in the house and really wanted to make the bread, now I know I’d be satisfied with the peanut butter version.
Annemarie A I wondered about that Annmarie. I will have to try it sometime. Thanks so much for sharing!
I made this but switched your peanut butter for a chocolate peanut butter…I baked at 400F for 35min in a 9×5 baking sheet, maybe 1″ thick, and came out really dry 🙁
eater 9×5 baking sheet? I put mine in mini loaf pans. Did you use a baking sheet or loaf pans. If you used a sheet then you would have to reduce the temperature to 350F and cook it closer to 18 minutes, maybe less. Sounds like it was overcooked.
Did you see this video on how to make it? https://wholelifestylenutrition.com/recipes/condiments-sauces/video-recipe-chocolate-zucchini-bread-gluten-free-grain-free-and-paleo/
eater The peanut butter I used was organic & freshly ground. Only peanuts in it, nothing added. I’m just guessing, but if a commercially prepared peanut butter (or almond butter) is used, it could have other ingredients in it that might interact with the other ingredients in the recipe and then impact the bread’s final result (i.e., sugar, salt, fat/oil).
i’ll have to try again, i think it may be the temperature thing. i did use organic peanut butter and a shallow pan, it was way too dry. thx all!
Can I replace the eggs with apple sauce? I can’t have eggs. So the recipe doesn’t use any kind of flour?
@Jay that’s right, no flour is needed. I am not sure if not including the eggs would work. You could try, but I really think you will need them. If you do try it, let us know how it turns out.
Awsome, really couldn’t believe this would work, moist, delicious, great taste, I even added chopped walnuts in the batter as well as a few on top with the mini chocolate chips. My husband, the real skeptic, loved them and munched them down. I used the almond butter recipe and will try to find Justin’s butter to try next time, yes next time. I also used fresh zucchini from my neighbours garden. Easy and fast, I like the muffins they look good too. Our family gives it 2 thumbs up! I will definitely check this site for more great healthy recipes. LuAnn.
My son is allergic to almonds and peanuts, but he loves chocolate zucchini bread. Can any of you suggest an alternative to the Justin’s hazelnut chocolate spread that he could stomach? Thank you.
Helen Lee Reid Maybe cashew butter? I’ve wondered how that would be and I’ll probably try it as another experiment. I’m guessing it would be just about the same as the almond butter version because cashews are a mild tasting nut, too. Is there macadamia nut butter? If so, that could be another option to experiment with.
Helen Lee Reid
You could also try sunflower seed butter http://www.sunbutter.com/
anyone try it with banana?
eater Excellent idea! I knew I would have to look for a zucchini substitute when the local organic goes out of season because I can’t imagine going all winter without eating this bread. It’s my new favorite and I actually like it better than brownies!
or pumpkin seed butter very similar texture, taste is a little stronger but still delicious…
I was thinking of bananas too just for taste and reducing maple syrup a bit but the recipe may not turn out with bananas as a substitute for main ingred.
LuAnn Toronto Canada I just pulled out a loaf using bananas and it turned out beautifully! I am working on recipe to post next week. I did not use cocoa powder to make the nut butter chocolate, instead I used mini chocolate chips. Bananas, peanut butter and mini chocolate chips go together beautifully. Oh and I (1 1/2 x) the recipe to make a full loaf pan of bread rather than mini loafs…cooling now, can’t wait to try it!! 🙂
you sound like you know what you’re doing, can’t wait to try it!
LuAnn Toronto Canada Ha ha, sometimes I wonder 🙂 Here is a photo…can’t post one, but I can post one in a screenshot. What do you think? http://cl.ly/image/1f2Q3g1I0d3S