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What do you do with the enormous zucchini that your coworkers bring into the office? Make Paleo chocolate zucchini bread of course! This brownie-like bread is gluten-free, dairy-free, and absolutely delicious.
I've always been an emotional eater (I know, not a great thing), but even more so, I've always been an emotional BAKER.
Think it has to do with how comforting I always found it to stand in the kitchen and bake with my mom when I was growing up, and when I am feeling at the brink of some emotional craziness, baking always centers me.
So any time I need some soothing I often find myself baking.
A few years ago my husband and I took some culinary school classes and we made the BEST chocolate zucchini bread there, but like pretty much everything I loved prior to learning I was Celiac, I can't have it anymore.
So this one got Paleofied in my kitchen and I don't know if it's been that long since we've had it or I really just nailed it, but it tastes just as good as the original.
Freezer-safe
This freezes really well too, so I take those ginormous baseball bat zucchini and make a whole bunch of loaves at once and then freeze most of them.
Sometimes I slice and individually wrap in plastic wrap before freezing so I can just take out a slice or two, or I freeze the whole loaf at once.
This tastes SO good though mid-winter when you are out snowshoeing or skiing though!!
A Tip For Gigantic Zucchini
A note if you do use gigantic zucchini – make sure you peel them as the peel is pretty tough at that point, and then scoop out the seeds before shredding.
I just take a spoon and run it down the center and the seeds come out pretty easily. Then I cut the flesh up into smaller chunks and run it through the shredder in my food processor.
It's not really necessary to do these steps with the smaller zucchini as they don't have these big seeds and their skin isn't nearly as tough.
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Other Recipes You Might Like
If chocolate is your thing, you need to try out this Chocolate Instant Pot Cake! It's amazing!
Or this Paleo Chocolate Mug Muffin is also great, and only takes a few minutes from start to finish.
Or these Chocolate Sunbutter Snack Balls are a quick and easy but really tasty snack for both kids and adults
More Helpful AIP & Paleo Resources in the Freebie Library
If you find this recipe helpful, you may really enjoy the resources in my Paleo & AIP Freebie Library! There's a “dump” freezer meal plan, a list of AIP-compliant breakfast toppings, and so much more. Plus, you'll get even more ideas sent to your inbox! Get the password here.
Paleo Chocolate Zucchini Bread Recipe
If you make this chocolate zucchini bread, I'd love to hear how it turned out! Either comment below or share a pic on Instagram and tag me @thrivingautoimmune!
Paleo Chocolate Zucchini Bread
Ingredients
- 1.5 cup Zucchini (grated (about 1/2 lb))
- 1 cup Almond Flour
- 1/4 cup Tapioca Flour
- 1/2 cup Cocoa Powder
- 1 tsp Baking Soda
- 1/4 tsp Sea Salt
- 1/2 tsp Cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp Allspice
- 1/2 cup Coconut Oil (melted)
- 1/2 cup Honey or Maple Syrup
- 2 Eggs
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 3/4 cup Dark Chocolate Chunks (I like the Enjoy Life Brand)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F. Add a sheet of parchment paper to a 9 x 5 inch standard loaf pan and then grease the parchment.
- In a large bowl, mix all of the dry ingredients.
- In a separate large bowl, beat the coconut oil, honey, eggs, and vanilla extract until well blended. Gently mix in the zucchini.
- Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix until just combined.
- Fold in the dark chocolate chunks.
- Transfer the mixture to the prepared loaf pan and bake for 50-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean.
- Let cool for at least 15 minutes before serving.
Notes
This looks great! Yum! Can I make it without the cocoa powder? As I have allergies to large amounts of chocolate/cocoa (a few chips are okay).
Sure – you could use carob powder instead if you wish, or just replace the cocoa powder with tapioca or arrowroot flour.
Made this bread today and it turned out really really well!
Michelle thank you for sharing the recipe with us. I try to stick as close to AIP as possible
Look delicious! Is the tapioca flour the same as cassava flour or tapioca starch?
Tapioca flour is the same as tapioca starch but NOT the same as cassava flour. They’re both made from the cassava plant, but cassava flour is made from the dried and ground-up root and the tapioca flour/starch is JUST the starch. Therefore they act differently when used in recipes. Hopefully that helps! 🙂
There are so many recipes for breads/baked goods that I try and fail at but this was dead-on delicious and perfectly baked with a moist texture but not soggy.
Loved it! Thank you for sharing.
Hi Michelle
I can’t eat eggs or nuts so what can I use instead of the almond flour ?
You can use sunflower seed flour instead of the almond flour.
Linking back to this recipe with my own chocolate hemp zucchini bread!! Yum1
Thanks Tessa!
This looks amazing! Congrats on joining the leagues of full-time bloggers – can’t wait to see where you take your blog this coming year.
I am not an emotional baker, but I do have the tendency to over-purchase food to fill my freezer and pantry when life feels out of control. There’s just something about the comfort of knowing that if everything hit the fan that at least my family would be well fed!
Ha! I do that too! I have spent a gazillion dollars on all kinds of food and staples like paper towels and tissues these last few weeks so that way I feel fully “stocked” and at least don’t have to worry about that! So funny!
this looks so chocolately & delicious.. if you are looking for someone to eat all your emotionally baked goods, i am your girl!
Ha, thanks so much Grace 🙂
Looks delicious! I will give it a try!!!
This looks delicious, Michele! I’ve always loved zucchini bread but I haven’t tried a paleo version yet- that needs to change!! I’m also an emotional baker- doing some myself this week 😉
Thanks Jessica! Guess I never realized how many emotional bakers there are. Always thought I was the only one!
Your site looks great and so does this bread! I’m also an emotional baker – just figure you’re probably in the right field now if emotions = awesome recipes 🙂
Haha, thanks Michele!