These chocolate zucchini muffins are fluffy, moist, and supremely fudgy. These muffins are doubled down with chocolatey goodness from cocoa powder and chocolate chips. And they’re packed with hidden zucchini that you can’t even taste. Also, as an added bonus, these muffins are made with whole wheat flour, applesauce, maple syrup, and only two tablespoons of coconut oil, making them a whole heck of a lot healthier than most chocolate zucchini muffins on the market.
We did our research when it came to these chocolate zucchini muffins. Most of the top recipes on Google and All Recipes contained as much as a cup of sugar and/or a cup of oil in their recipe. THAT IS INSANITY!!!
I promise you, these muffins are sooooooo freaking good and they only have 2 tablespoons of oil and 1/3 cup of pure maple syrup. That’s largely because we subbed in applesauce, which keeps muffins moist and naturally sweetens. But zucchini also plays an important role in adding moisture to these muffins.
These muffins are a must bake for summer. They’re the perfect way to use up any zucchini you have hanging around at the end of the summer. Plus they’re a delicious treat for breakfast or when you’re craving a healthier chocolatey indulgence. We love to snack on these throughout the day.
Ingredients
- White whole wheat flour – for a little extra protein, fiber, and vitamins and minerals over all purpose flour. If you don’t have wheat flour, all purpose works fine too.
- Cocoa powder – we prefer natural cocoa (like Hershey’s cocoa) to Dutch processed cocoa for a lighter, more chocolatey flavor. Dutch processed will be a little more bittersweet and much darker if you prefer that.
- Zucchini – about 1 medium zucchini is all you need. This recipe is perfect for using leftover summer zucchini. Make sure you press out as much moisture as possible to prevent soggy muffins!
- Pure maple syrup – we love using natural sweeteners in our baked goods. Note that pure maple syrup is NOT pancake syrup!
- Unsweetened applesauce – helps cut back on the oil content, while keeping these muffins moist. Plus it acts as a natural sweetener, allowing us to cut back on added sugars.
- Coconut oil – this recipe only calls for 2 tablespoons of oil, making these muffins much lower in fat without sacrificing moistness. Feel free to replace coconut oil with canola or vegetable oil.
- Almond milk – we prefer to use unsweetened vanilla almond milk in this recipe. You can replace it with your favorite milk.
- Eggs – binding agent that helps with the texture and lift of these muffins.
- Vanilla extract – for a hint of vanilla flavor.
- Chocolate chips – for extra sweetness. We split the chips so we have some folded into the muffins and some topping the muffins. You can omit if you prefer.
- Baking powder and soda – leavening agents for light and fluffy muffins.
- Salt – helps amplify all the other flavors in these muffins.
Tips for Making Chocolate Zucchini Muffins
- Squeeze out water in the zucchini – for the best results, squeeze out as much excess water from the zucchini as you can using a dish towel, cheesecloth, or nut milk bag. This will help prevent dense and soggy muffins.
- Don’t overmix the batter – overmixing muffin batter will result in dense, tough muffins instead of light and airy ones. A few streaks or bumps of flour is okay.
- Use muffin liners or cooking spray – this will help prevent the batter from sticking to the sides and bottom of the muffin tins.
- Cool on a wire rack – cool the muffins in the muffin tin on top of a wire rack for 5 minutes. Transfer the muffins from the tin to the wire rack to finish cooling. This will help prevent moisture from collecting in the muffin tins, resulting in soggy muffins.
- Bring the ingredients to room temperature – when using coconut oil, it’s important to bring all the wet ingredients to room temperature. Melted coconut oil will resolidify when it comes into contact with cold ingredients. By bringing the applesauce, eggs, maple syrup ,and milk to room temperature you will prevent re-solidification from happening. If you replace coconut oil with canola or vegetable oil you won’t need to worry about the temperature of your wet ingredients.
How to Make Chocolate Zucchini Muffins
Preheat the oven to 350℉. Line the muffin tins with liners or cooking spray.
Shred the zucchini. Press as much moisture out of the zucchini as you can with paper towels or a kitchen towel. Transfer the zucchini to a fine mesh sieve to continue draining while you prepare the muffin batter.
In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix to combine.
In another large mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, zucchini, maple syrup, almond milk, applesauce, coconut oil, and vanilla extract.
Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour in the wet ingredients. Mix to combine. Don’t overmix the batter. You can have a few streaks or bumps of flour in the batter. Fold in ½ cup of chocolate chips.
Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin tin, filling all the way full. You can top with the remaining ¼ cup of chocolate chips, if desired. Bake 20 to 24 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out mostly clean with a few crumbs (there shouldn’t be any batter on the toothpick).
Allow the muffins to cool in the muffin tins on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Transfer the muffins to the wire rack to cool completely.
How to Store
No matter which storage method you choose, be sure to allow the muffins to cool completely on a wire rack before storing. This will help prevent excess moisture from collecting.
- Room temperature – line a Ziploc bag or airtight container with paper towels and transfer the muffins to the container in a single layer. Place another layer of paper towel over the top of the muffins and seal. Store at room temperature for 4 days.
- Refrigerator – line the bottom of an airtight container with paper towels and add the muffins to the container in a single layer. Place another layer of paper towel over the top of the muffins and seal. These muffins can be refrigerated up to 1 week. *please note that refrigerating muffins will remove moisture and result in drier muffins than storing at room temperature.
- Freezer – remove the muffins from their liners. For optimum freshness, individually wrap each muffin with plastic wrap and place in a freezer Ziploc bag. Squeeze as much excess air out that you can from the bag before sealing. These muffins can be frozen for up to 3 months.
- Thaw/Reheat – to thaw frozen muffins, pop them in the microwave (with liner removed) and warm for 30 seconds-1 minute, or until warmed throughout. You can also thaw them overnight in the refrigerator.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
- Can I make these muffins vegan – to make these muffins vegan, replace the eggs with flax seed egg. Also, be sure to use vegan chocolate chips. The texture and denseness may differ as a result.
- Can I make these muffins gluten-free – replace the whole wheat flour with all purpose gluten-free flour for the best results. You can try other gluten-free flours, like coconut, almond, or oat, but they will result in different texture and moisture content than all-purpose flour, so you may need to adjust the quantity. Note: we have only made these using all purpose and white whole wheat flour.
- How do I keep my coconut oil from solidifying in the batter – bring all the wet ingredients to room temperature to prevent the coconut oil from re-solidifying when added to the wet ingredients. To quickly bring eggs to room temperature, submerge them to a warm bowl of water. You can warm the milk, syrup, and applesauce in the microwave for a 10-15 seconds to speed up the process.
- My coconut oil turned solid, what do I do now – if you added melted coconut oil to cold wet ingredients, your oil likely re-solidified. Fill the sink with a few inches of warm water. Place the mixing bowl in the water. Whisk the wet ingredients vigorously. The oil should return to its liquid state in the warm water bath and you can continue with the recipe.
- How do I know if my muffins are done – insert a toothpick in the center of the muffin. It should come out with a few crumbs sticking to it, but no wet batter streaks.
More zucchini recipes you’ll love!
Chocolate Zucchini Muffins
Ingredients
- 1¼ c white whole wheat flour
- ½ c cocoa powder
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 eggs, room temperature
- 1 c shredded zucchini, drained, pat dry (about 1 medium zucchini)
- â…“ c pure maple syrup (NOT pancake syrup)
- ½ c unsweetened vanilla almond milk
- â…“ c unsweetened applesauce
- 2 Tbsp coconut oil, melted (or canola oil) *see note #3
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ¾ c mini chocolate chips, divided (dark or milk chocolate)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350℉. Line the muffin tins with liner or cooking spray.
- Shred the zucchini. Press as much moisture out of the zucchini as you can with paper towels or a kitchen towel. Transfer the zucchini to a fine mesh sieve to continue draining while you prepare the muffin batter.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix to combine.
- In another large mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, zucchini, maple syrup, almond milk, applesauce, coconut oil, and vanilla extract.
- Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour in the wet ingredients. Mix to combine. Don't overmix the batter. You can have a few streaks or bumps of flour in the batter. Fold in ½ cup of chocolate chips.
- Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin tin, filling all the way full. You can top with the remaining ¼ cup of chocolate chips, if desired. Bake 20 to 24 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out mostly clean with a few crumbs (there shouldn't be any batter on the toothpick).
- Allow the muffins to cool in the muffin tins on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Transfer the muffins to the cooling rack to finish cooling. Enjoy!
Notes
- Can I make these muffins vegan – to make these muffins vegan, replace the eggs with flax seed egg. Also, be sure to use vegan chocolate chips. The texture and denseness may differ as a result.
- Can I make these muffins gluten-free – replace the whole wheat flour with all purpose gluten-free flour for the best results. You can try other gluten-free flours, like coconut, almond, or oat, but they will result in different texture and moisture content than all-purpose flour, so you may need to adjust the quantity. Note: we have only made these using all purpose and white whole wheat flour.
- How do I keep my coconut oil from solidifying in the batter – bring all the wet ingredients to room temperature to prevent the coconut oil from re-solidifying when added to the wet ingredients. To quickly bring eggs to room temperature, submerge them to a warm bowl of water. You can warm the milk, syrup, and applesauce in the microwave for a 10-15 seconds to speed up the process.
- My coconut oil turned solid, what do I do now – if you added melted coconut oil to cold wet ingredients, your oil likely re-solidified. Fill the sink with a few inches of warm water. Place the mixing bowl in the water. Whisk the wet ingredients vigorously. The oil should return to its liquid state in the warm water bath and you can continue with the recipe.
- How do I know if my muffins are done – insert a toothpick in the center of the muffin. It should come out with a few crumbs sticking to it, but no wet batter streaks.
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