Chocolate Pumpkin Spice Zucchini Bread

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Hello Fall! Which also means its Pumpkin Season!!

Try this yummy clean and gluten-free chocolate pumpkin bread. This would be perfect for breakfast paired with eggs and bacon. When you buy Chocolate chips look for the highest Cacao 60% or higher. Stay away from milk chocolate its full of added sugar.

cacao vs cocoa

Cacao:

Chocolate is derived from the cacao plant, which grows pods. When those pods are cracked open, inside there’s a seed that looks a bit like a coffee bean. Jackpot. That’s the cacao bean. Raw, it tastes like a very bitter version of chocolate, and the flavor profile can be different based on the variety of plant, the soil it was grown in, exposure to sunlight, and other factors.

To make cacao powder, which is how cacao is most often used, the beans are processed in low heat to separate the cacao butter (a white, fatty substance that tastes like white chocolate) from the beans. Once the fats have been mostly removed, the beans are ready to be milled into a fine, dark, semi-sweet powder.

Because it’s been processed at such low temperatures, cacao powder retains all of its enzymes, vitamins, and nutrients and is considered “raw.” The temperature at which it’s heated is the primary difference between cacao and cocoa powder.

Cocoa:

Cocoa powder starts out as raw cacao. First, the oils are separated, then the beans are finely crushed. But here’s a big difference—cocoa powder is heated to super-high temperatures, which usually gives it a less bitter taste. And it’s not just the flavor that changes; exposure to higher temps changes the molecular structure, which reduces the enzyme content and lowers the over nutrient content of the powder. Many companies also end up adding fillers like powdered milk and sugar to bring down costs and give it a sweeter flavor, which further detracts from any lingering health benefits.