Dark Chocolate Drizzled Grilled Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread

 
I’ve teamed up with Kingsford® and Glad® to bring you today’s sweet treat! My family has been using their charcoal for our summer weekend grilling and plastic containers for storing our leftovers since before I was born. We love them!

Nearly every summer weekend throughout my childhood, my parents invited one of our best family friends, a couple from across town, over for a backyard barbeque. They showed up in the late afternoon with plenty of time to chat and catch up before starting to prepare the food.  

Eventually, Dad and the husband wandered out to the back patio, carrying that iconic blue-and-white bag of charcoal and setting it down next to the grill before scrubbing off the remnants from our last barbeque from the grill. As a purist, Dad always cooked with charcoal (never gas!) because we all loved the hint of smoky flavor that permeated into the food.

While the coals began heating, Mom and the wife headed into the kitchen to pull out cutting boards and serving platters. Mom usually shaped hamburger patties for my brother and me, then set out a few salmon fillets for Dad to season (he almost always generously coated them with a spicy Cajun blend!), although sometimes the adults opted for burgers topped with freshly sliced cheddar instead. While Mom worked, the wife tossed together a healthy salad or slid chopped veggies onto skewers to throw onto the grill, too.
 

 
Once Dad spread the coals across the bottom grate, we helped carry the platters of meat and veggies outside. About twenty minutes later, my brother and I set the patio table with spots for six, and shortly after, we all sat down to eat as Dad flipped the last burger off of the grill.

When everyone had scraped the last lingering grill-marked bites of salmon and zucchini off of their plates, my brother and I helped clear the table while Mom sealed the leftovers inside of plastic containers in the kitchen to pop into the fridge or send home with our guests. Then came dessert (my favorite part!), which usually consisted of big bowls of ice cream while sitting on the patio soaking in the last few rays of sunshine.
 

 
With the days growing longer and the warm weather already here in California, we started wiping the winter dust off of the grill to cook dinners outdoors again at the end of last month. At the end of one of our meals, I decided to try something a little different than our usual dessert… This Dark Chocolate Drizzled Grilled Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread was the result—and a huge hit!
 

 
To start, you’ll need a loaf of my favorite zucchini bread recipe. My family and friends call it the best zucchini bread they’ve ever had! And for a good reason… It’s really tender, full of cozy spices (and chocolate!), and packed with fresh zucchini. It’s the perfect treat for summer’s zucchini season, and it can be our little secret that it’s so easy and healthy!

The dark chocolate drizzle is even easier! Simply mix together cocoa powder, pure maple syrup, and milk in a small bowl. Then transfer to a zip-topped bag, and wait to snip off one tiny corner until you’re ready to serve. You’ll just need regular ol’ unsweetened cocoa powder for the drizzle—no need for Dutched or special dark! The drizzle already tastes really dark chocolaty without those latter two options.
 

 
I used to be slightly intimidated by grilling (mostly because I tend to be a klutz and didn’t want to combine that with hot coals!), but once I tried it a few times with my dad, I was amazed at just how easy it is! He patiently walked me through the whole process each time, so that’s what I’m going to do with you too!
 

 
First, you’ll fill the chimney with Dad’s favorite Kingsford Original Briquets (the same ones he’s been using since before I was born!). Stuff some crumpled newspapers underneath, and light those with a match or long-nosed lighter. You’ll only need to wait about 15-25 minutes for them to completely heat up, depending on how many charcoal briquets you add to the chimney, before inverting the chimney and spreading the coals across the bottom grill grate.
 

 
Next, cover the grill with the lid, leaving the holes open to let in a little air. This allows the coals to cool off a little and reach the same temperature as their neighbors so you don’t have one area of scorching hot coals and another of mostly hot. We want our food to cook as evenly as possible without burning it!
 

 
To grill the slices of zucchini bread, coat the top side of each slice with cooking spray, as well as the main grate of the barbeque. With each spray of the grate, you’ll see a burst of flames shoot up from the coals underneath, so be careful! Using tongs or a spatula, place each slice on the grate with the cooking spray side facing upward, and let it cook briefly until that bottom side is toasted. Then flip, let the other side toast, and you’re done!

Wasn’t that easy?
 

 
If you happen to have leftovers like us (our eyes always seem to be bigger than our stomachs… and four people probably shouldn’t eat twelve slices of zucchini bread anyway!), then simply seal those inside of plastic containers to enjoy later. I love these Glad ones that I found in their MatchWare Variety Pack! They come in cute colors and multiple different sizes, and their tight-fitting lids ensure that those extra zucchini bread slices stay fresh for days. I bought the containers at Walmart, along with the Kingsford charcoal and all of the ingredients I needed for the zucchini bread, too!
 

 
Sweet ice cream, rich chocolate, melty chips… Who’s ready to dig in??
 

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This post was sponsored by Kingsford Charcoal and Glad. As always, the text, photographs, recipe, and opinions are all my own.