Chocolate Zucchini Bread

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup whole-wheat flour
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 3 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 cup low-fat yogurt
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 3 cups zucchini, small or medium sized, raw, grated
• 1/2 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips
• cooking spray
• parchment paper

Makes 12 Servings (1 9-inch bread)

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Spray a 9-inch by 13-inch cake pan with nonstick cooking spray. Line with parchment paper, spray again, and dust lightly with flour. Shake off excess flour.
2. Combine the flours, sugar, salt, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and cocoa powder. Sift if necessary to remove lumps.
3.  Combine eggs, yogurt, and vanilla. Add zucchini and chocolate chips. Gently mix into dry ingredients. Do not overmix.
4. Pour into prepared pan and spread in an even layer. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on a rack.

WW POINTS VALUE: 5 pts.

 

Note: This recipe appears in the New Sonoma Cookbook. Who knew that zucchini and chocolate would make a delicious combination and be good for you? If you're a fan of carrot cake with cream cheese frosting, you will like this dessert. Plus, you won't miss the creamy frosting. Spring is here and summer is approaching and this is the perfect treat to enjoy for breakfast, dessert or even as a light snack during the day. Heck, you won't miss the butter on this bread. You could even add 1/2 cup chopped walnuts or almonds to the bread for an extra bit of crunch but it may affect the points value. You can also use shredded yellow squash in place of the zucchini and the chocolate bread will still be deliciously healthy. I also highly recommend using smaller loaf pans is you have them because you can always wrap them and freeze them or even give them as gifts.