There is no doubt about it that my daily cup of coffee is a BIG part of my life. It is usually the one of last things I think of when I go to sleep at night (looking forward to my morning cup) and the first thing I think of when I wake up! So yes, a hot cup of coffee is a delight to me. I also enjoy baking with coffee as it truly accents the flavor of chocolate so well. And yes chocolate is yet another essential in my life. Coming across this recipe for Chocolate and Coffee Zucchini Bread was a complete delight! I found the recipe on Shockingly Delicious - a food blog by the lovely and kind, Dorothy. I have followed Dorothy's blog for quite awhile now and have always enjoyed her recipes and stories. I was delighted to be assigned to her blog this past month through the Secret Recipe Club.
I dove right into my assignment to Dorothy's blog making her Best Onion and Mushroom Burgers. Such. Delicious. Burgers!!! I highly, highly recommend whipping up a batch of these burgers. Simple recipe for a family week night dinner or a fun and comforting dinner idea for the upcoming BBQ season. I had all intentions of making these burgers again and photographing them for my Secret Recipe Club assignment but then switched gears drastically when I discovered this chocolate, coffee and zucchini delight of a quick bread. What a treat! A perfect quick bread that can be made year round with ready available ingredients. Easy to put together and lovely to eat. Perfect!
I added some chocolate chunks and chopped walnuts on top of my bread. I like to show what may be inside.... :-)
Chocolate and Coffee Zucchini Bread
Ingredients:
1cup grated unpeeled zucchini
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
4 Tbsp good quality cocoa
1 tsp instant coffee (or espresso) powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup mini (or regular) semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups flour
*1/4 cup chopped nuts (I used walnuts) - optional
1/4 cup chopped chocolate - optional
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 9x5 loaf pan - set aside.
2. Take grated zucchini and gently roll into 2 layers of paper towels. This is will help get rid of a lot of the moisture in the zucchini. Set aside.
3. Cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add in eggs, vanilla extract, cocoa and coffee powder, salt and baking soda. Beat all together to combine.
4. By hand mix in zucchini and chocolate chips. Also by hand, gently mix in flour - just until combined. Pour batter into prepared pan. Top with chopped nuts and chocolate if you wish. Bake for 55-60 minutes. *Cover bread with tin foil if the nuts begin to brown. Cool bread and enjoy with a hot beverage of your choice and a lovely book. Happiness!
Happy Chocolate and Coffee Zucchini Bread Baking!
