The addition of lots of zucchini and some whole wheat flour make these Double Chocolate Zucchini Muffins a little healthier than standard bakery muffins.
This summer was my first real "summer break" with kids. One in which I had a kid who was just so done with actual full-time school for the year and couldn't wait for 3 months of doing nothing.
As I suspect they do in many households over the summer, things got a little relaxed around here. The kids weren't eating (or sleeping, or doing anything) on their regular routines, and treats became a more regular occurrence. "Sure you can have another popsicle, because summer!" The treats even started to sneak in at breakfast time.
I let the kids make a few decisions in the grocery store, and things like Pop-Tarts would find their way into my cart. Then on one trip to Costco, I regaled my kids with the fond memories I had of the giant muffins they sell in their bakery. I agreed to buy some.
If you've never had a Costco muffin, you should at least look at them next time you're there. They are massive! And they come in huge packs of 12, which you can at least split between 2 different flavors. I dealt with the massive size and quantity by cutting them in half, then wrapping and freezing them all, and pulling them out as needed.
The kids chose chocolate and blueberry for their two flavors. The chocolate ones disappeared shockingly quickly, because who wouldn't want to eat chocolate cake for breakfast? Anyway, instead of getting sucked into buying those muffins on a regular basis, I decided to make my own, healthier version. I introduce Double Chocolate Zucchini Muffins.
Even though I haven't actually looked at the nutrition info of those Costco muffins to compare, I have no doubt that these ones are at least a little healthier. They're filled with a large amount of zucchini (3 whole cups!), some whole wheat flour, and probably less sugar and fat than not only the Costco muffins, but most muffins that you'd buy in a bakery.
But they still disappear just as quickly. I can't seem to make them fast enough. I guess I should be glad that my kids latched on to chocolate muffins (that I can stuff full of veggies and they'll still devour) instead of those Pop-Tarts!
How to make Double Chocolate Zucchini Muffins:
Making these rich, chocolate zucchini muffins requires one very important step to make sure they don't turn out overly heavy and dense from the moisture in the zucchini: draining the zucchini.
In order to do this, shred the zucchini using a regular box grater. Then transfer the shredded zucchini to a large colander and gently mix it with some salt. The salt will help draw the water out of the zucchini. After letting it sit for 10-15 minutes, place the zucchini into a clean towel and squeeze out all of the moisture. This squeezed-dry zucchini is what you will be adding to your muffins.
While you're waiting for your zucchini to drain, you can begin prepping the muffin batter, which is pretty much like making any other muffins. Whisk together the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Stir together the wet ingredients in another bowl. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, and gently stir, then mix in the zucchini.
This recipe makes 15 muffins, so to make baking go more quickly, you can bake 2 pans of muffins at the same time. If you only have one, don't worry - simply cook one pan of the muffins, and put the remaining batter in the fridge. Cook the remaining muffins once you have removed the first batch from the muffin pan, being sure to re-grease the muffin cups.
Double Chocolate Zucchini Muffins Ingredients:
- Zucchini
- Salt
- All-purpose flour
- Whole wheat flour: if you don't happen to have any, simply replace it with an equal amount of all-purpose flour.
- Cocoa powder
- Baking powder
- Baking soda
- Granulated sugar
- Canola oil: or replace with an equal portion of another neutral-flavored cooking oil
- 1Plain or vanilla Greek yogurt: replace with a dairy-free yogurt alternative to make these muffins dairy-free
- Eggs
- Vanilla
- Semi-sweet chocolate chips
Want more muffins with hidden veggies?
Double Chocolate Zucchini Muffins Nutrition Notes:
The nutrition information in the recipe below is calculated using plain yogurt. Using vanilla-flavored yogurt instead of plain will slightly increase the sugar (and calorie) content of the muffins.
While these chocolate zucchini muffins are significantly healthier than a muffin you would buy at most bakeries, it is still high in calories, fat, and sugar.
These muffins can be made dairy-free by replacing the yogurt with your favorite dairy-free yogurt alternative. In that case, check to make sure that your chocolate chips are also dairy-free, as most are not.
Healthier Double Chocolate Zucchini Muffins
Ingredients
- 3 cups shredded zucchini, from one large or two medium zucchinis
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt, divided
- 1 ½ cups all purpose flour
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- ½ cup cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup canola oil
- ½ cup plain or vanilla Greek yogurt replace with dairy-free yogurt alternative to make these muffins dairy-free
- 3 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (plus 2 Tablespoons to sprinkle on top, optional)
Instructions
- Heat oven to 375°F. Lightly grease the cups and top of a muffin pan. (See note)
- Toss the shredded zucchini with 1 teaspoon of the salt in a large colander. Set in the sink to drain for 10-15 minutes while you prepare the rest of the ingredients. Place the zucchini in a clean dish towel and squeeze out all the remaining moisture.
- Whisk together the all purpose flour, whole wheat flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and remaining ½ teaspoon of salt in a large bowl.
- Whisk together the sugar, canola oil, yogurt, eggs and vanilla in a medium bowl. Fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until just moistened. Gently fold in the drained zucchini and chocolate chips until incorporated.
- Distribute the batter evenly into the muffin pan. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes in the pan, then remove the muffins and cool completely on a wire rack. Store at room temperature for up to 2 days, or freeze in a zipper bag.
Taylor Kennedy says
OH wow. I’ve been wanting to make this recipe for weeks and finally got the chance. I didn’t stray from the recipe at all the first time, they turned out absolutely perfect. Thanks for the wonderful recipe 🙂
Carissa says
I'm so glad you loved them! Thanks for the comment 🙂