Football Shaped Chocolate Zucchini Bread with Pecans

I wonder how many die hard sports fans we have out there, that are ladies?  I’m seriously obsessed y’all and surely that ain’t just a Texas thing, right?  I LOVE all sports and I just can’t get enough. We have even missed church for a playoff game.  Crazy huh!  I mean, I gotta have time to cook and bake for the game, you know?  Fiesta food, sandwiches, buffalo wings, and this chocolate zucchini bread with pecans, all shaped like footballs with just a touch of icing are just a few things I whip up during game day!

This sweet bread is just fabulous y’all.  And while it’s fine without nuts, you have to have pecans.  Maybe THAT is a Texas thing but I just can’t imagine any sweet bread without pecans or some sort of nut in it!  It just ain’t right!  Me and my mom made these for the big playoff game between Cowboys and Packers and they were a hit touchdown!  Yes, it was a catch and the Cowboys would have scored and should have advanced!!!!!!  Anyhoo!  Truett though they were so cool and kept acting like he was gonna throw a pass with them. He kept trying to sneak more than one so I had to keep my eye on that stinker!

Because these are a sweet bread, you don’t need icing but by baking in the Wilton football shaped pan, and adding a little bit of icing, it really added some fun to our game day menu!  As always, we used Fisher Nuts Pecans because they’re the best and that’s how we roll.  I’m the nutty one on the right…..I’m kind of a nerd too and love to read facts about things, including pecans!  I found this on their website

Indigenous to the South Central U.S. and Northern Mexico, pecans have been enjoyed for centuries by Native Americans for their delicious taste and nutrition. In fact, the name pecan comes from the Native American word “paccan,” meaning a nut with a shell so hard it must be cracked with a stone.

You can use bread loaf pans or bundt pan if you want.  In fact, we made several of the football shaped ones and still had enough to make a loaf or two.  The icing was the hardest part and then I realized, it doesn’t have to be perfect, duh!  So I just did the best I could, obviously, having no decorating skills whatsoever!   I used the icing in a can that comes with tips.

Hope you guys enjoy and I’d love to know who you’re rootin’ for!  SEAHAWKS!!!

CHOCOLATE ZUCCHINI BREAD WITH PECANS

Ingredients

• 3 eggs
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 1/4 tsp baking power
• 1 1/2 cups Fisher Nuts Chopped Pecans
• 3 heaping Tbs. cocoa
• 2 cups grated zucchini
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 3 cups flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon

Directions

1. Mix all ingredients together.
2. Put into greased and floured pan of your choice.
3. Bake at 350′ for 1 hour or until done. If using the football shaped silicon pan, bake for 40 minutes.

To serve as a dessert, adding chocolate or white icing.  I made mine look like a football!  LOVE IT!

Enjoy y’all!