Against the Odds: Chocolate Zucchini Bread Recipe

Meal Monday

Cookies are king in our house. There is no food item more favored—or talked about—than cookies.

So when my husband told me that he was tired of reading posts about the kids not really liking the foods I prepare for them, cookies should have been the obvious choice as a success story for my next post.

Instead, I made a cake. Well, a chocolate zucchini bread that I called "cake" for the kids.

Zeke loves cake. And muffins. And cupcakes. Any kind of sugary goodness. Vegetables, not so much. It's impossible to resist his polite requests for, "more cake peez," knowing there's zucchini hidden in it.

The equally veggie-averse Bitty doesn't have Zeke's sweet tooth, but she scarfs this down with the best of them, crying out, "cake!" until she gets her next bite.

The Dude avoids both cake and vegetables. The goodies from the garden never stand a chance, but he is all about cake, at least in theory. If he sees a picture of a cupcake, he enthusiastically shouts, "Mmmm!" If the other kids are demanding cake, he joins the chorus of, "Cake! Peez cake!" But once the cake is on his plate, it barely touches his lips before he gives it back to me, shaking his head no. Sometimes he'll even suggest that his portion should go to Zeke or Bitty.

No, I'm not a glutton for punishment. But I am pressed for time. The trio is not even two-and-a-half, and they already have different activities and schedules. Cookies, utterly delicious as they are, require more work than the chocolate zucchini bread I just made. No creaming butter and sugar. No shaping cookies. No multiple pans. And if there's a cookie recipe out there with only three tablespoons of oil and applesauce that actually tastes good, I haven't come across it yet. And let me be clear: This "cake" is good.

The projected two out of three gave the thumbs up to what they now call "Mommy Cake." And while my husband might say that two out of three isn't a success, making something easy, healthy, and delicious is a good thing in my book. Best of all, the Dude's cake aversion means more cake for Mommy.

Chocolate Zucchini Bread

Ingredients:

¾ cup sugar
3 Tbsp canola oil
2 eggs
1 cup natural applesauce (unsweetened)
1 cup white whole wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp cocoa
1 ¼ tsp baking soda
1 ½ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp salt
1½ cups shredded zucchini
½ cup chocolate chips

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x5-inch loaf pan with cooking spray.

In a medium bowl, mix the dry ingredients, white whole wheat flour through salt, until well combined.

In a large bowl, whisk the sugar, oil, and eggs until well blended. Stir in the applesauce. Add the dry ingredients and mix until combined. Add the grated zucchini and chocolate chips. Stir until incorporated.

Spoon batter into the sprayed loaf pan. Bake for 55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from oven. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes in pan. Remove bread from pan and cool completely.