These Double Chocolate Zucchini Muffins are the BEST, most delicious use for zucchini! The muffins are moist, tasty and they vanish quickly. They also do double duty by helping to mask green veggies inside the baked good so kids and adults alike can enjoy the healthy vegetable!
Happy Mother’s Day to all of you awesome mamas! I hope your day was blessed beyond measure. My cuties made sure my day was filled with snuggles and good food, two of my favorite things.
My only contribution to yesterday’s menu were these Chocolate Zucchini Muffins, which by the way, MY BOYS LOVE. They love zucchini and they don’t even know it! This is so exciting! Elijah, as he was totally Mmmmm-ing over one of these muffins, thought he spied a chunk of green. I distracted him with something funny our dog was doing, he shrugged his shoulders and kept right on eating.
The reason my boys adore these Chocolate Zucchini Muffins is because there is sugar and chocolate galore involved and the vegetable is well hidden!
HOW TO MAKE CHOCOLATE ZUCCHINI MUFFINS FOR YOUR HOME
This is such a great recipe to hide zucchini or another healthy vegetable that you want your kids to eat because the chocolate flavor really helps hide all the green veggies inside!
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Preheat oven to 350°F and line two muffin tins with cupcake paper liners (or spray the cups generously with cooking spray). Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or a large mixing bowl with a hand mixer), combine the oil, sugar, brown sugar, eggs and vanilla and beat until creamy.
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In a separate bowl, combine the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Mix well. Gradually add to the butter mixture and beat on medium-low speed until just combined. Fold in the zucchini and chocolate chips.
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Divide the batter between the prepared muffins cups. The batter will be thick and the cups should be 3/4 of the way full. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the centers comes out clean. Place them on a wire rack to cool slightly but feel free to serve warm!
RECIPE TIPS
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For a healthy chocolate zucchini muffins, replace a portion of the sugar with honey and reduce the amount of chocolate chips by half.
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Zucchini prep: Grating the zucchini or shredding zucchini is a personal preference. Whatever is easiest is what you should do for adding to the muffin butter.
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Make this recipe gluten free by replacing all-purpose flour with a gluten free flour.
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Replace vegetable oil with canola oil or coconut oil, if desired.
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN MUFFINS AND CUPCAKES
Both cupcakes and muffins are delicious and one is traditionally known as a dessert and not a breakfast item. The difference really lies in the batter. To make cupcakes, you must cream the butter and sugar really well so it becomes smooth and fluffy. This additional creaming of the batter helps the air bubbles really be uniform throughout the batter. Also, they tend to be sweeter. Conversely, muffins are mixed together enough to combine the ingredients and remains a little lumpy. They are a little dryer, more dense in their end result. They generally have fruit in them and less sugar overall.
HOW TO TELL IF A ZUCCHINI IS READY TO EAT
When ripe, a zucchini should feel mostly firm but give a little when pressed with your fingers. The skin should appear dark green and glossy. The flesh of the zucchini should not be mushy or tough and should have a yellowish-white color.
IS A ZUCCHINI BETTER RAW OR COOKED?
Zucchini, much like it’s cucumber cousin, is a heavy veggie due to its high water content which means limited calories! It is a flavorful vegetable and can be enjoyed both raw and cooked. Raw zucchini is firm and slightly crunchy. Cooked zucchini is softer, but still delicious.
HEALTH BENEFITS OF ZUCCHINI
Filled with potassium that is heart healthy, it’s also high in antioxidants like Vitamin B6 and C. It’s also great because it has zero fat and has needed fiber for your diet.
WHAT IS A GOOD SIZE FOR ZUCCHINI?
When using zucchini is baked into foods such as bread or muffins, it can be as big as a house. If you intend to use it for cooking fritters or zucchini chips or if you want to saute it or use it in any other way, 6 inches is a good size for optimal flavor. The seeds inside the zucchini will be a perfect size when it is on the smaller side, too, and it won’t be as watery. Large zucchini hold a LOT of water, which isn’t ideal for many savory recipes.
WHAT TO SERVE FOR BRUNCH AT HOME
Brunch is one of my favorite things in the world. I mean, we’re talking meat, pancakes, eggs, all the savory breakfast foods AND all the sugar-laden treats, as well. We have veggies and sandwiches and wraps and quiche and pot roast and soup and the list goes on and on. Brunch contains the best collection of foods on the planet, which is why it is so popular among the masses. And we can’t forget that alcohol is totally acceptable at brunches, too! Woo!
Here is just a tiny sampling of my favorite brunch fare:
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Homemade Bagels – Make homemade bagels using only 5 ingredients and in 20 minutes from start to finish! NO YEAST or rising or waiting required. These easy bagels are soft, flavorful and taste great with savory or sweet toppings. I love sprinkling Everything But the Bagel Seasoning over the tops!
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Blueberry Muffins – You have just met your new go-to Blueberry Muffin recipe! These muffins turn out great every time, they are moist and totally packed with blueberries. These are the PERFECT treat to adorn your brunch spread!
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Breakfast Pizza – Like brunch itself, this recipe is a combo of two types of meals, making it the perfect brunch fare. Pizza combined with eggs, spinach, bacon and goat cheese? Yes, please!
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BEST Breakfast Casserole – I have been making (and perfecting) this breakfast casserole for YEARS and it is one of my all-time favorite breakfast foods. This is perhaps my favorite thing ever to make for brunches. It is a massive hit every single time!
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Mixed Berry Croissant Breakfast Bake – Transform French Toast into a Mixed Berry Croissant Breakfast Bake! The croissants add such a delicious buttery texture. Let it sit in the fridge overnight so it is ready to bake the next day!
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Lemon Drops – This is my favorite drink to enjoy for any occasion. It is the perfect brunch cocktail because it is light, lemony and delicious! It is sure to impress guests. Use honey simple syrup for a less sweet version.
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Slow Cooker Hot Creamy Corn – This Hot Corn Dip is ADDICTING! Bacon and green chiles give this dish the kick is needs. Sprinkle some cilantro into the cheesy corn dish for a perfect brunch dish. Serve it with chips or crackers or solo as a creamy side. Either way, it’ll be the most popular dish at the feast!
HEALTHY FOODS FOR PICKY KIDS
Knowing you can help your kids get the nutrients they need in more than one form is what we want to help you accomplish! We’ve put together a list of delicious foods that our kids don’t see as healthy but allow them to enjoy eating their fruits and/or vegetables in a snack or breakfast item. You’ll be happy they’re eating better choices and they are happy to be blissfully unaware.
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Healthy Breakfast Cookies – These cookies aren’t just for breakfast and they are deceptively delicious. Kids will never know how healthy they are!
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Homemade Fruit Roll-Ups – Eliminate artificial and unknown ingredients by making your own homemade fruit roll-ups! This is the ultimate snack food for kids. Great for lunch boxes, too!
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Healthy Breakfast Muffins – Enjoy breakfast the healthy way! Whip up a batch of these muffins as a perfect on-the-go meal or a snack to stay on track with healthy eating. These breakfast muffins are beyond delicious plus they’re packed with good stuff.
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No Bake Granola Bars – These Healthy No-Bake Chewy Granola Bars are the perfect snack for little ones. Filled with dried fruit and chocolate, peanut butter and honey, you will satisfy your sweet tooth with a snack you can feel good about eating. There is something comforting about knowing EXACTLY what goes into your kids’ bodies!
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Healthy Fruit Dip – This Fruit and Veggie Dip is creamy, healthy and ADDICTING. Kids LOVE this stuff! Great healthy after-school snack option.
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Healthy Snack Bites – These healthy snack bites take less than TEN minutes to make and you probably have all of the ingredients in your pantry. My boys adore them! Great after-school or anytime snack with no preservatives or added sugar!
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Easy Zucchini Brownies – These are the BEST Zucchini Brownies you’ll ever make! Super moist, flavorful and chocolatey and topped with a creamy-dreamy frosting. This is the best way to use up zucchini from the garden!
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Instant Pot Applesauce – Make your next batch of applesauce in your Instant Pot for an added touch of delicious flavor! This recipe requires only a handful of ingredients and takes just a few minutes to make. It is a great way to use up apples, it is the perfect snack for kids and it never lasts long in my house.
Double Chocolate Zucchini Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 3 eggs
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder
- 1/2 tsp. baking powder
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. cinnamon
- 2 cups zucchini grated
- 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F and line two muffin tins with cupcake liners (or spray the cups generously with cooking spray). Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or a large mixing bowl with a hand mixer), combine the oil, sugar, brown sugar, eggs and vanilla and beat until creamy.
- In a separate bowl, combine the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Mix well. Gradually add to the butter mixture and beat on medium-low speed until just combined. Fold in the zucchini and chocolate chips.
- Divide the batter between the prepared muffins cups. The batter will be thick and the cups should be 3/4 of the way full. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the centers comes out clean. Serve warm!
Absolutely loving the fan of these! I’ve been trying to find some good recipes that allow me to sneak some veg into school snacks and I think this one will be worth a try! My kids are forever complaining about their school snacks (which are healthy in comparison to their friends’ snacks). Wish me luck 🙂
I’m so glad you like them! I also find that it’s a great way to help balance out what my boys are eating with what they like. They never need to know some of the "secret" ingredients!