I don't know about you but we've made a LOT of banana bread since the pandemic started. Like it was becoming a bit addictive and wasn't helping the maintenance of stable blood sugars and moods in our household lol.
But we LOVE treats as a family, and Aiden loves baking with his mama. And I am always looking for ways to make a dessert healthier, so this little gem was created and tested in our house not too long ago.
I'll be honest. I was skeptical about this one. I've never made a zucchini loaf, and wondered how much of it we'd taste, and if Aiden would hate it lol.
But this was surprisingly delicious and Aiden couldn't even tell there was zucchini in it! And let's be real - as moms, we're always trying to find sneaky ways to get more veggies into our kiddos (maybe also ourselves too lol), right?!!! I call snealy recipes like this a total #momwin
Also, if you know other ways to sneak in more veggies into your kiddos, let me know in the comments below :)
So, if you're looking for a sweet treat without the guilt, which you should never have IMHO, you should definitely give this dessert a try.
And if you do, be sure to let me know how you liked it. I read every message and your feedback helps me fine tune my recipes and give you more of what you want!
Enjoy!
Healthy Chocolate Chip Zucchini Loaf
Prep time: 15min | Bake time: 55min | Total time: 1hr 10min
Servings: 10-12
Ingredients:
3/4 cup gluten-free baking flour
3/4 cup protein powder*
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 cup dark chocolate chips
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 large egg, room temperature
1/2 cup coconut oil, melted
1 1/2 cup shredded zucchini (about 1 medium)
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, protein powder, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and chocolate chips. Set aside.
In a large bowl, stir together the brown sugar, eggs, and melted coconut oil until smooth. Add the shredded zucchini and vanilla extract and mix until well combined.
Add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined, don’t over mix.
Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Bake until golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean, about 50 to 65 minutes.
Remove the bread from the oven and let sit in pan for 10 minutes. Loosen with a bread knife around the edges and carefully remove the bread from the pan. Cool completely on a cooling rack before slicing.
*NOTES:
Use a plain or vanilla protein powder for this recipe to make a balanced/healthier dessert. I use the Amped Tri Release Vanilla Whey Protein by Isagenix because it's super clean and free of all the icky things in most protein powders. Alternatively, you can swap out the protein powder for equal parts flour.
