So I have this list of goals and pursuits (You can check them out on my In This Life page) and one of them I'm actively working on right now is learning how to cook, and more importantly, learning how to love cooking. I don't know if I'll ever be able to completely check off the last one, but I figure I've spent 24 years learning to dislike it, so why not just retrain myself? After a few months I can tell that this is definitely going to be a process, (perhaps an additional 24 year process?) regardless I'm proud to say that I'm enjoying cooking and meal planning more than I ever have! I've even discovered that I have a particular knack and joy for baking. So, to keep things fun and to lesson feelings of boredom and frustration in the kitchen, I've decided to find a scrumptious new recipe to cook every 1-2 weeks. This week was chocolate zucchini bread. Zucchini bread has been pretty cheap and plentiful the last few weeks so it seemed like the perfect time to try it out!  

The results turned out pretty stellar! Scott (and the sister missionaries who came over today) loved it! I must admit, the recipe did not turn out as quite as chocolatey as I fantasized, (what can I say, I'm pregnant!) so next time I think I'll use regular sized chocolate chips, but it definitely did the job of curbing my chocolate cravings! Not to mention. It. Is. SUPER MOIST!

I got the recipe from a cookbook my Mom gave me called, "Our Best Bites". You can check out their chocolate zucchini bread recipe here at their site, or I've also posted it below. Enjoy! 

And if your like me, good luck on your own "learning to love cooking" adventures!




Chocolate Zucchini Bread {makes 2 loaves}

2 C flour
2 t cinnamon
1/2 t salt
1 1/2 t baking soda
6 T unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 C canola oil
1 C sugar
1/4 C brown sugar
3 eggs
2 t vanilla
1/2 C sour cream
3 C grated zucchini
3/4 C mini chocolate chips

Topping:
2 T brown sugar
2 T white sugar
1/2 t cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour 2 loaf pans and set aside.
2. Mix topping ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.
3. Place flour, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder in a small bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside.
4. With a stand or hand mixer beat oil, white sugar, brown sugar, and eggs until combined and slightly fluffy, 1-2 minutes.
5. Add vanilla and sour cream and mix until combined.
Gently stir in the grated zucchini.
6. Take a spoonful of the flour mixture and stir in with the chocolate chips (that will help keep them evenly distributed.) If you only have regular chocolate chips, or a chocolate bar, just give it a chop so it’s the size of mini chocolate chips.
7. Divide the batter between the two pans. and sprinkle topping over each. 
8. Bake in your preheated 350 degree oven for 50-60 minutes. I set my timer for 45 minutes and then keep an eye on it for the remainder. 

When it’s done a toothpick or skewer should come out without goopy batter on it and the top will be gorgeous and cracked with sugar.