Chocolate Zucchini Muffins
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Chocolate zucchini muffins are extremely moist with a delicious chocolate flavor and chocolate chips. The perfect chocolate treat to use up your garden zucchini! 
Fresh, grated zucchini makes the best muffins, loaves and cakes. And these chocolate zucchini muffins are no different. They have a delicious chocolate flavor that’s not too sweet and they’re extremely moist and tender. They rise beautifully to give you muffin tops that are perfectly domed. What I love about these muffins is that they have enough chocolate to satisfy a chocolate craving, but they’re not so overboard that you can’t eat one for breakfast.
Baking with Zucchini
Grated zucchini adds moisture to baked goods. Zucchini has a very light and delicate flavor, so you don’t actually taste it. I always like to grate my zucchini very finely so it fully dissolves when baked. It’s important to gently squeeze out any excess water. I use a paper towel to squeeze out the excess liquid and mop up any zucchini juice.
Note: You don’t need to peel the zucchini before grating it. The skin is totally fine in these muffins.
Making Chocolate Zucchini Muffins
This recipe is very straight forward and simple. You can make the recipe by hand with 2 bowls. For step-by-step explanation and photos, take a peak below. Or you can skip straight to the recipe further down.
- First, you’ll finely grate the zucchini and squeeze out any excess liquid, as mentioned above. It doesn’t need to be bone dry, nor should it be. You just don’t want it sopping wet.
- Then in a medium bowl you’ll whisk together the dry ingredients. This ensure that you remove any lumps from the cocoa powder and that the baking soda and baking powder are evenly distributed through the batter for a better rise.
- Then in a separate large bowl you’ll whisk together the wet ingredients and sugars: oil, white sugar, brown sugar, eggs, vanilla and a milk. You want to ensure that the sugar is dissolved and you no longer have chunks of egg yolk. Note that the oil and milk add to the moist, tender texture of these muffins.
- Carefully whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. You’ll notice that the batter at this stage looks very glossy and seem sticky and almost tacky.
- Gently fold in the grated zucchini and chocolate chips. You’ll see pieces of zucchini throughout the batter, but as the muffins bake, they’ll dissolve. The batter will be somewhat thin compared to other muffin batters, but that’s to be expected.
- Then carefully spoon the batter into a 12-cavity muffin tin lined with muffin papers. Each muffin paper will be about 3/4 to 7/8s full. So quite close to the top.
- Then pop them in the oven to bake for about 22 minutes. When they’re done baking the tops will be rounded and an inserted toothpick will come out clean or with a few moist crumbs (or a melted chocolate chips).
So to recap – these chocolate zucchini muffins are moist, tender, and filled with chocolate. They might be my favorite way to use up fresh garden zucchini. But if you have even more zucchini in your garden, then I’d recommend also trying:
- Zucchini Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting – if you love carrot cake, then you’ll love this
- Lemon Zucchini Loaf – the zucchini makes this loaf extremely moist
- Zucchini Chocolate Chip Loaf
Chocolate Zucchini Muffins
Equipment
- 12-cavity muffin pan
Ingredients
- 1 cup finely grated zucchini, you'll need about 1 small to medium zucchini
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (187.5 grams)
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder (40 grams)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil (120 ml), or canola
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar (100 grams)
- 1/2 cup brown sugar (100 grams), light or dark
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup milk (60 ml)
- 3/4 cup chocolate chips (120 grams)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375F (190C or 180C on a forced fan oven). Line a 12-cavity muffin pan with muffin papers.
- Using a paper towel, squeeze out any excess liquid from the grated zucchini. It won't feel dry, but it shouldn't be dripping water.
- Whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl.
- In a separate large bowl, whisk together the oil, granulated sugar, brown sugar, eggs, vanilla and milk. Be sure that the eggs are properly incorporated.
- Carefully whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until no lumps remain. The batter will be glossy and sticky. I typically use a rubber spatula to fold it in first, then whisk until smooth.
- Fold in the grated zucchini and chocolate chips using a rubber spatula.
- Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin pan. Each muffin paper will be about 3/4 full, or slightly more.
- Bake muffins in the preheated oven for about 20-25 minutes, or until the tops are rounded and an inserted toothpick comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
- Cool in the pan for about 10-15 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to continue cooling.
Notes
- Zucchini: You do not need to peel the zucchini before grating. I use a small grater for finely grated zucchini. If you use a larger grater, the zucchini won't fully dissolve in the batter. It will still work, but you will see pieces of zucchini.
- Storage: Store muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. Cooled muffins can be frozen for up to 2 months. Then thaw in the fridge overnight.
- Nutrition: Nutrition information is an estimate only and based on 1 muffin, assuming the recipe yields 12 equal-sized muffins.
I tried these last week and they are so delicious! Even my picky husband said they were good! Quick question, would this recipe work with shredded carrots instead of zucchini? I have a ton of carrots that need to be used up..
I’m not much of a baker and I always hesitate to try new things, however, I had a ton of zucchini that was given to me. This recipe came out amazing! When difficult thing was shredding the zucchini, it was not my favorite part, watch your fingers. Otherwise these turned out So good that I’m planning on not sharing them with anybody in the house since they didn’t help.
I’m so glad you decided to give these a try and that they turned out so well. I definitely support you in not sharing 😉
The instructions say to mix together the dry ingredients and salt is one of them, but the recipe does not have salt on it. What is the measurement of salt please?
Hi Michelle – sorry about that, my mistake! You’ll use 1/4 teaspoon salt. I’ve updated the recipe now. Thanks for catching that!
Delicious- I put a fresh raspberry on top of each! Always an amazing combo!