Triple Chocolate Quick Bread
Quick breads are a great alternative to traditional yeast-based loaves without the long rise times. Our triple chocolate quick bread is simple, easy, and uses pantry staple ingredients. With or without the rich chocolate ganache topping, each slice pairs perfectly with a cold glass of milk for either breakfast or dessert.
With my food guzzlers, I’m always on the lookout for a quick addition to my menu that can help top off their tanks.
I love a good dessert that I don’t feel terrible about giving my family that helps keep them full until morning.
I mean- we’ve got applesauce muffins, strawberry bars, and banana oat bread, just to name a few.
None of them however have the same appeal.
They’re all good, and we all love them- for breakfast or dessert.
Still they’re all lacking one critical thing. One crucial ingredient.
Chocolate!
This little gem, also known as triple chocolate quick bread, is one of my go-to favorites.
It’s like a special edition chocolate muffin, with a hint of apples.
What Is A Quick Bread?
If you’re a new baker just stepping your toes into the waters of breads- it can seem pretty overhwleming.
I mean there’s yeast which needs activating, rise times, a whole process, and then the guessing game of if you’re dough’s too sticky add more flour until it ‘feels’ right.
It’s a lot, and can be intimidating.
This is why I always recommend beginner bakers start with making quick breads.
Quick breads, so aptly named, are 100 % still homemade bread, but they don’t involve yeast, rise times, or anything overly complicated.
They’re very straightforward.
Instead of using yeast, quick breads use a combination of baking powder and baking soda as leaven-ers. The ingredients that make the bread rise during the baking process.
Often these include biscuits, muffins, and even scones.
These baked goods have been given the name ‘quick’ because they need to be baked fairly quickly after the batter’s mixed together.
Again, this is another reference to their lack of time consuming rise times. This is thanks to the lack of yeast used to make them.
Ingredients Needed
Another great thing about this style of baked good? The ingredient list is fairly short, and everything required is pretty common.
- chocolate chips
- butter
- brown sugar
- eggs
- applesauce
- vanilla extract
- flour
- baking powder
- baking soda
- salt
See? Everything’s simple and common, down to the chocolate chips and applesauce.
Making The Bread
Whipping up a batch of this chocolate bread is pretty simple. Don’t let it intimidate you.
Seriously, it’s hard to mess up. Just follow these simple directions.
Using a double boiler, or a plain pot on the stove, melt 1 1/2 cups of chocolate chips. Whisk them until smooth.
Once they’re melted and smooth, immediately remove them from the heat and set aside. Melted chocolate can scorch quickly.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter & sugar. Whip them until evenly combined, and light and fluffy.
At this point, add in the eggs and completely cooled chocolate. Mix them together until evenly combined.
Add applesauce & vanilla extract to the bowl, stirring again to combine.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients- flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
Set the mixer to the lowest speed, and gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet batter. Continue adding and mixing in until it’s all completely incorporated into a complete batter.
Fold in the remaining half cup of chocolate chips.
Divide the batter evenly among two lightly greased smaller metal loaf pans.
Bake the chocolate quick bread loaves at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Remove the cooked loaves from the oven, and let them rest for 10 full minutes.
Release the loaves from their pans and turn out onto a wire rack to finish cooling completely.
To Glaze Or Not To Glaze
This chocolate quick bread is great all by itself. Trust me on this. A thick warm slice of this bread served with a cold glass of milk makes for a great dessert OR breakfast.
Many a night I comforted my own kids with just that exact combination. Gave them the warm fuzzies.
However, we’re talking a thick, fudgy chocolate ganache topping now spread out over the warm bread like a glaze.
By itself, this delicious dessert bread honestly has a crumby, muffin- like texture.
It’s drier than cake, which uses oil and not apple sauce. It’s still plenty sweet though.
The glaze is really the thing that takes it over the top, and really the deciding factor between serving it for brunch or for dessert.
I may, or may not, have also been talked into making this for them for a special breakfast as it contains both eggs and applesauce.
TIPS & TRICKS
- Don’t want to make this as two smaller loaves? You can make it as a full size loaf (instructions included in recipe card notes), but prepare for additional bake time.
- This bread is delicious all by itself. If you’re dieting, or planning on serving it to anyone who’s watching their sugar intake- simply omit the glaze for a satisfying treat.
- Not feeling the whole bread thing? Make it into muffins instead! Spray a muffin tray liberally with non-stick cooking spray, and it should fill roughly 18 of them evenly with the batter. Bake as instructed.
I Have To Ask Why Are They Called ‘Triple’ Chocolate?
The first time I made these I wondered the same thing.
Like kept reviewing the recipe over and over like I’d missed some secret ingredient or something.
Nope, that was not the case.
Here the word triple doesn’t actually refer to the different kinds of chocolate used, but rather in how many steps they’re incorporated into.
So the three chocolates are: the melted chocolate for the batter, the chocolate chips mixed into the batter, and finally the chocolate in the ganache glaze topping.
So now you know!
Either way, this triple chocolate quick bread is perfect for either breakfast, brunch, snack time, or dessert.
Your kids will be happy whenever you choose to serve it!
And depending on how you choose to make it, with minimal sugar and applesauce in the batter- it’s actually a feel pretty good option.
So find yourself a reason to give it a try, you won’t be disappointed in the results.
It’s delicious & crumbly, but more muffin than cake like.
Slice a piece off the loaf and enjoy!
Other Baked Goods To Enjoy For Breakfast Or Dessert
- Blackberry Cobbler Muffins
- Glazed Strawberry Bread With Cream Cheese Glaze
- Glazed Lemon Zucchini Bread
If you’ve tried this TRIPLE CHOCOLATE QUICK BREAD, or any other recipe on the site, let me know in the comment section how it turned out, we love hearing from our readers! You can also follow along with me on PINTEREST, FACEBOOK, and INSTAGRAM to see more amazing recipes and whatever else we’ve got going on!
Triple Chocolate Quick Bread
Ingredients
For The Bread
- 1 & 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips divided
- 1/2 cups butter softened
- 2/3 cup packed brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 & 1/2 cups unsweetened applesauce
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 & 1/2 cup all purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
For The Glaze
- 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
- 1 tbsp butter
- 3 tbsp half and half
- 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
- 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
To Make The Bread
- In a pot on the stove top over low heat, melt 1 cup of chocolate chips; set aside to cool.
- In a stand mixer, cream butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy.
- Add eggs and cooled chocolate, mix until evenly combined.
- Add applesauce and vanilla; set aside.
- In a separate bowl, mix flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt until evenly combined.
- Add flour mix to the batter and mix until evenly combined.
- Lightly mix in the remaining chocolate chips just until incorporated into batter.
- Divide batter evenly between two* greased loaf pans.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean
- Cool for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack.
To Make The Glaze
- In a small pot over low heat, melt chocolate chips and butter, stirring until evenly combined.
- Stir in half and half.
- Remove from heat and stir in confectioners’ sugar, vanilla, and salt.
- Drizzle over warm loaves, or pipe onto loaves using a ziplock bag.
- Let the chocolate cool and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
originally published 2/6/2013
This is a fantastic recipe. My kids (and myself) loved this! It’s super easy and chocolaty without all the added sugar and just the right amount of sweetness. Beats buying those chocolate muffins at the grocery store any day. We had to use whole wheat flour because it’s what I had at home but it still came out great! Also can be used for milk allergies! We substituted the butter for Earth Balance Dairy Free butter spread and it worked great! Healthy and filling. This will be added to our weekly quick breads. Thanks girl!