Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread

During the summer, there are a handful of fruits and vegetables I love to have on hand at all times: tomatoes (obviously), juicy plums, sweet corn, and ripe zucchini. One of my favorite ways to use the deep green summer squash is in baking. Zucchini provides great moisture and, when finely shredded, becomes one with the batter as it bakes, leaving you with a delightfully fluffy end result.

Zucchini bread is simple, but a few ingredients make it the best it can be. Butter in the batter provides flavor while a little bit of oil keeps it moist for days. A touch of ground cinnamon adds warmth. Light brown sugar provides extra moisture and a subtle molasses flavor, and sour cream lends extra fat to make the bread super tender. Finally, chocolate chips provide a subtle sweetness and richness that elevates the humble quick bread into a real treat. 

Chocolate chip zucchini bread is ready in a little over an hour, no mixer needed, and doesn’t require any heavy lifting beyond shredding and draining the zucchini. It’s wonderful in the morning with a cup of coffee or tea and makes the best snack throughout the day. Just make sure you cut yourself a slice while it’s still warm!

Tips for the Best Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread

• This recipe uses one pound of green zucchini. Go for two smaller zucchini rather than one big one. I’ve found bigger zucchini to be super watery, a big no for this recipe.
• Zucchini is full of moisture and, if you’re familiar with quick breads, you know how all that water can make it dense, gummy, and wet. Take care to wring out as much liquid from the zucchini as possible. It should feel similar to freshly shredded carrots—mostly dry, with just the tiniest bit of moisture. 
• Toss the chocolate chips with the dry ingredients before adding to the wet ingredients. It’s an easy way to keep the chips from sinking without adding extra flour. 
• Line the pan with parchment. This bread takes on a lot of color and not lining the pan can result in a too dark and crusty loaf. 

Easy Recipe Variations

Like all good recipes, this one is ripe for riffing. Consider swapping the semi-sweet chocolate chips for dark if you like a little more depth and richness, or milk chocolate if you like things on the sweeter side. Or add chopped, toasted pecans or walnuts. You can even give it the full carrot cake treatment, and swap the chocolate for nuts and raisins or dried cranberries.

Make It Muffins!

No loaf pan? No problem! This batter bakes beautifully into about 16 muffins. Here’s how:

1. Preheat the oven and line two standard-size muffin tins. 
2. Make the batter as instructed. Instead of pouring into a loaf pan, fill each lined cavity of the muffin tin about 3/4 of the way full.
3. Bake on the middle rack until golden, puffed, and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 17 minutes. 
4. Let cool in the pan set over a wire rack for a few minutes, then transfer the muffins directly to the rack to finish cooling. 

How to Store

Chocolate chip zucchini bread can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container or tightly wrapped in plastic wrap for up to 4 days. 

The bread can be frozen for up to 3 months. I like to wrap mine in a double layer of plastic wrap and then place it in a resealable plastic bag with as much air as possible removed. Defrost in the fridge or on the counter before serving.

More Baking with Zucchini

• Zucchini Bread with Pineapple
• Chocolate Zucchini Cake
• Zucchini Muffins
• Zucchini Carrot Bread
• Grandma's Zucchini Cake