What to do with Extra Zucchini? You make Double Chocolate Zucchini Loaf!

One tip I like to give my clients to help make their baking just a little healthier is to cut back on the fat and sugar content by using pureed/shredded fruits and/or vegetables. They will continue to help keep the baked good moist, just as the fat would. And that’s what you do with a zucchini loaf and boy, did it ever stay moist!!  Some fruits/vegetables I like to use besides zucchini are applesauce, bananas, pureed pumpkin, pureed lentils, pureed carrots and pureed dates are also a good option. What fruits or vegetables do you like to use in your baking?

This recipe comes from @gfshoestring. They have many great recipes, so check them out! I’ll repost the recipe on my blog; check out the link in my profile.
 
Double Chocolate Gluten Free Zucchini Loaf
Ingredients
2 ounces dark chocolate, chopped
1 ½ cups (210g) All Purpose Gluten Free Flour (I used President’s Choice)
½ teaspoon xanthum gum (omit if your blend already contains it)
¼ cup (20g) unsweetened natural cocoa powder
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 cups (200g) grated fresh zucchini
2 eggs (100g, weighed out of shell) at room temperature, beaten
6 tablespoons (84g) neutral oil (canola, vegetable, grapeseed or peanut oil all work)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions
Preheat your oven to 325°F. Grease and line a standard 9 inch x 5inch loaf pan and set aside. In a small microwave safe bowl, place the chopped chocolate and microwave in 30 second bursts at 60% power, stirring in between, until smooth. Set the chocolate aside to cool briefly.

In a large bowl, place flour, xanthum gum (if needed), cocoa powder, salt, baking soda, baking powder and granulated sugar and whisk to combine. Place chocolate chips in a separate bowl and add 1 teaspoon of the dry ingredients to the chips and toss to combine. Set the chips aside. Add 1 ½ cups (150 g) of the grated zucchini to the dry ingredients and stir to combine, breaking up any clumps of grated zucchini. In a blender or food processor (I used a hand blender), place the remaining ½ cup of grated zucchini, eggs, oil and vanilla and blend or process until smooth. Add the melted chocolate and blend once more to combine.

Create a well in the centre of the bowl of dry ingredients, pour in the wet ingredients and mix to combine. The batter will be soft. Add all but a few of the chocolate chips and reserved dry ingredients to the batter and stir until the chips are evenly distributed throughout. Scrape the batter into the prepared loaf pan, and smooth the top with a wet spatula. Sprinkle the remaining chocolate chips evenly on the top and press gently to help them adhere.
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Place the loaf pan in the centre of the preheated oven and bake rotating once, until a toothpick inserted in the centre of the loaf comes out clean (about 50 minutes). Remove the pan from the oven and allow to cool for at least 20 minutes in the loaf pan before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Slice and serve!

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