Mama’s Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread

Have you ever absolutely craved something to the point that nothing will stop you from having it? I had that kind of craving for my mom’s chocolate chip zucchini bread recently. I hadn’t had it since before she died in 2019, so I decided to replicate it as much as I could from memory. I wrote down what I remembered, compared it to a few recipes I found online, made a few tweaks, and somehow, some way, I nailed it on the first try.

Y’all, this chocolate chip zucchini bread was everything. I didn’t make this batch gluten-free, but I’ve since adopted it to be GF. I’ll share the changes I made in the notes below.

Another thing I learned in this process? Chocolate chip zucchini bread goes great with coffee for breakfast. I took this to work and it was devoured within the day!

Here’s the recipe for my mom’s chocolate chip zucchini bread.

Mama’s Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread

Ingredients

• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour (substitute 1:1 flour for GF – see notes)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 eggs at room temperature
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
• 2 cups shredded zucchini, patted dry (see notes)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cups chocolate chips, divided
• 1 tablespoon sugar for sprinkling on bread

Recipe

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Grease a loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and salt.
3. In a large bow or stand mixer, stir together the brown sugar, eggs, and melted butter until smooth. Add the shredded zucchini and vanilla extract and mix until well combined.
4. Add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
5. Fold in 1 cup of the chocolate chips, holding ¼ cup of chocolate chips to the side. 
6. Pour the batter into the loaf pan and sprinkle sugar over the top. Top with the remaining chocolate chips.
7. Bake until golden brown and a toothpick or fork comes out clean, about 55 minutes.
8. Remove the bread from the oven and let sit in the pan for 15 minutes before removing to continue cooling on a wire rack. Let bread cool completely before slicing.

Notes

• To make this chocolate chip zucchini bread gluten-free, use a 1:1 GF all-purpose flower. I like Bob’s Red Mill or King Arthur.
• Patting the excess moisture out of the zucchini before adding it to the mixture is important. Zucchini has a lot of water and it will make the bread too moist. I line a bowl with two layers of paper towels, shred my zucchini over it, then put a couple more napkins on top once I’m finished. I the press and squeeze to get the moisture out. You might have to do this a couple of times. I’m sure there are easier ways to do this, but this one works for me. My mom used cheesecloth.
• If you forget to take the eggs out ahead of time so they can warm to room temperature, a little trick I learned from somewhere is to drop the eggs into a glass or bowl of hot tap water.
• I keep the bread in the fridge, but it can stay on the counter in an airtight container for a few days, too.