Chocolate Zucchini Bread

2 1/4 c. all purpose flour
3/4 c. unsweetened baking cocoa
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 c. sugar
2 c. finely shredded zucchini
1/2 c. oil
2 beaten eggs

Preheat oven to 350.  Grease bottom and sides of two loaf pans.  Set aside.

In a medium mixing bowl combine flour, cocoa, cinnamon, baking soda, and baking powder.  Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, combine sugar, zucchini, oil, and eggs; mix well.  Add dry ingredients to zucchini mixture.  Stir just until moistened (batter should be lumpy).

Divide mixture evenly between the prepared pans.  Bake for 45-60 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted near center comes out clean.  Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes.  Remove loaf from pan, and cool completely on the wire rack.  Wrap and store overnight.  Makes 2 loaves (in my opinion, it's not worth it to make one loaf of quick bread ... always, always, always double the recipe to get two loaves, and either freeze a loaf or give it away.  But never ever make just one.)

I've heard it said that once you change three or more ingredients in a recipe, you can call it your own and don't have to give credit to the original owner.  If that's really the case, then pretty much everything that goes through my kitchen is unquestionably owned by the Rhymeswithsmile Empire of Middle Connecticut (LLC).  This one's no exception ...
- original recipe calls for 3 cups of flour.  I wanted it to be chocolatey, so I replaced 3/4 cup of flour with cocoa instead.
- original recipe calls for nutmeg and cloves in addition to the cinnamon.  I knew I didn't want those flavors with chocolate, so I nixed that.  Save it for cold weather and fall ... not for summer and chocolate.
- original recipe calls for nuts.  Which, in my mind, means "chocolate chips"... I actually ended up not using them (because I prefer my recent habit of eating them straight out of the package by the handful when I'm in desperate need of a dessert), but think it will be a standard addition from here on out.

Wait.  I just realized that one of my "changes" to the original recipe actually was not a change, since I didn't do it.  So, I don't know if that counts or not, but I'm going to claim ownership, OK?