Peppermint Death by Chocolate Zucchini Bread

Peppermint death by chocolate zucchini bread is a wonderfully festive twist on a classic. It takes the warm, comforting characteristics of homemade zucchini bread and turns it into a moist and flavorful fudgy treat. This recipe is incredibly easy. It combines fresh and healthy ingredients with rich decadent chocolate chips and cocoa powder -- a double whammy of deliciousness! Make this holiday treat for Christmas or celebrate year round by baking up this loaf any time of the year! 

What makes this peppermint death by chocolate zucchini bread so good?!

This double chocolate chip zucchini bread is a unique treat inspired by the flavors of the holiday season. It’s reminiscent of a peppermint hot cocoa with rich, fudgy chocolate and refreshing peppermint extract. Although this sweet and decadent bread is made a bit healthier with the inclusion of fresh zucchini, similar to my pumpkin zucchini muffins, it closely resembles a zucchini cake, instead of a bread, from it’s moist and flakey texture.

The chocolate ganache, or chocolate glaze, is also rich and fudgy and similar to a creamy chocolate frosting. It’s all incredibly kid friendly and they won’t even notice that you snuck some vegetables right into the batter!

This recipe is super easy, as you can have a fun and festive treat in just a few simple steps. It’s also incredibly versatile. If you’re looking for a plain chocolate zucchini bread, simply leave out the peppermint extract, mints, and candy canes. You can also feel free to experiment by turning this loaf recipe into muffins, but be sure to watch carefully and adjust the cooking time accordingly so they don’t burn.

Looking for some recipes to use up any additional zucchini? Check these out:

• Zucchini Garlic Bites
• Roasted Zucchini with Parmesan
• Cheesy Cauliflower Rice

What is "death by chocolate?"

Death by chocolate is often a term used to describe something composed of all things chocolate. It elicits feelings of extreme decadence, guilty pleasure, and abundance. From chocolate chips and cocoa powder to a thick chocolate ganache, this zucchini bread is full of smooth, velvety chocolate through and through. Therefore, it's sure to give you that "death by chocolate" feeling with a slightly lightened up approach through the addition of the freshly grated zucchini.

Ingredients

For the Chocolate Zucchini Bread:

For the Chocolate Ganache (Glaze):

A few notes about the ingredients:

1. What is dutch process cocoa? In short, dutch process cocoa is a less acidic cocoa powder. It helps to keep the bread moist, yet airy, with a rich chocolatey flavor. If you do not have dutch process cocoa, you can easily substitute it 1:1 with regular unsweetened baking cocoa powder plus an additional ¼ teaspoon of baking soda to help neutralize the acid.
2. 1 ½ cups of shredded zucchini is equivalent to about 2 small zucchinis.

How do you make chocolate zucchini bread with chocolate glaze?

For the Chocolate Zucchini Bread:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare a 9x5 loaf pan with parchment paper and nonstick spray.

Grate the zucchini into a paper towel lined bowl using the larger sized holes of a cheese grater. Allow the paper towel to soak up the excess water, while you prepare the rest of the batter.

Combine the slightly cooled melted butter, vegetable oil, and brown sugar in a large mixing bowl. Whisk to combine. Add in vanilla, peppermint extract, and eggs. Then, whisk again.

Add the all purpose flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. Whisk until it is just combined. Do not overmix.

Carefully fold in the shredded zucchini and chocolate chips, reserving a few for the top. Then, pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan, top with the rest of the chocolate chips, and place it in the oven for 50 to 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Remove the loaf from the oven, allow it to cool for 15 minutes, then remove the bread and let it cool completely on a cooling rack.

For the Chocolate Ganache (Glaze):

Add the peppermints and candy canes to a plastic bag. Pound them with the back of a spoon or meat mallet until they become finely crushed. (You might want to double the bag so the mints don’t fly all over your kitchen.)

Place the chocolate chips in a heat-proof bowl. Set it aside.

Add the heavy cream to a sauce pan and allow it to simmer for about 5 minutes over medium low heat. Pour the cream over the chocolate chips, cover the bowl with a lid, and allow it to sit for about 5 minutes.

After 5 minutes, gently and slowly whisk the cream and chocolate together until it becomes smooth. Let the mixture sit uncovered at room temperature for 15 minutes or until it becomes thick enough to coat the bread.

Place the bread on a cooling rack on top of a sheet pan to collect the excess glaze. Pour the chocolate glaze over the bread until the top is completely coated. Sprinkle the crushed mints over top and allow the topping to thicken a bit more before slicing and serving.

Do you squeeze water out of zucchini for bread?

Zucchini naturally has a lot of water. After you shred it, you will notice that water will quickly fill the bowl. For some recipes, you may need to wring out the water before adding it to the batter. However, this recipe accounts for the added water. So instead, line a bowl with a paper towel to catch any excess water and allow the shredded zucchini to sit on it until you’re ready to add it to the rest of the ingredients. There is no need to squeeze any of the extra water.

Should I peel zucchini for zucchini bread?

It is not necessary to peel zucchini before adding it to zucchini bread. The skin is soft, easy to grate, and bakes up well, so this additional step isn’t needed.

What should I use if I don’t have a grater?

If you don’t have a grater, you can use the chopping blade on a food processor to grate the zucchini. Pulse it a few times to get a medium-large sized grate. If you don’t have a grater OR a food processor, you can try gently shredding the zucchini with a fork instead.

What makes this chocolate zucchini bread healthy?

This death by chocolate zucchini bread is incredibly rich and fudgy with plenty of decadent ingredients. However, the use of grated zucchini adds a fresh and healthy component. Although this bread is still made with refined sugars and butter, it utilizes very few heavily processed ingredients and is meant to be an occasional sweet treat to celebrate the holiday season.

One more tip

• This bread will keep on the counter in an airtight container for up to 4 days. (If the chocolate glaze gets too gooey, you can also store it in the refrigerator to help it solidify.) You can also freeze this bread completely cooled and tightly covered for up to 1 month. Then, defrost it before slicing and eating.

Looking for more holiday recipes?

Share your cooking with me! If you make this recipe, I'd love to know! Tag @yourhomemadehealthy on Instagram or leave a comment with a rating and some feedback at the bottom of this page!

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