Double Chocolate Zucchini Muffins

Rich, moist chocolate muffins packed with garden zucchini and dark chocolate chips - YUM!

If your garden is overflowing with zucchini, these Double Chocolate Zucchini Muffins are a delicious way to put your harvest to good use. Freshly grated zucchini keeps the muffins incredibly moist and tender, while cocoa powder and dark chocolate chips create a rich chocolate flavor that feels like a bakery-style treat. They're perfect for breakfast, an afternoon snack, or even a healthier dessert, and they're a great way to use up a couple of extra zucchini before they go to waste.

As a registered dietitian, I love baking with zucchini because it naturally adds moisture, fiber, vitamin C, potassium, and antioxidants without changing the flavor of the finished recipe. These muffins are also made with olive oil, which provides heart-healthy unsaturated fats, and dark chocolate chips, which contain antioxidant-rich cocoa flavanols. While they're still a sweet treat, they're a wonderful example of how fresh garden produce can add both nutrition and incredible texture to homemade baked goods.

These muffins are always a favorite with family and friends, and no one ever guesses there's zucchini inside! They bake up soft, fluffy, and perfectly chocolatey, making them ideal for meal prep or busy mornings. I like to bake a batch and freeze the extras so there's always a homemade snack ready to grab. Whether you're harvesting zucchini from your own garden or trying to use up a generous gift from a neighbor, these muffins are a recipe you'll come back to all summer long.

Yield: 24 muffins (2 dozen)

Total time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 c sugar

• 1/2 c brown sugar

• 1 c olive oil

• 3 eggs

• 2 tsp vanilla

• 2 1/2 c flour

• 1/2 c unsweetened cocoa powder (I used black dutched cocoa powder*, but regular works too!)

• 1 tsp salt

• 1 tsp baking soda

• 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

• 2 c grated zucchini (about 2 medium zucchini)

• 1 1/2 c dark chocolate chips (more for sprinkling on top, if desired!)

  
  

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line muffin tin with paper liners.

2. In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs, sugar, oil, and vanilla until well-combined.

3. In a medium bowl, mix together the dry ingredients: flour, cocoa powder, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon.

4. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in the larger mixing bowl.

5. Fold in zucchini and chocolate chips until combined.

6. Distribute batter among the muffin tins.

7. Bake in preheated oven for 30-35 minutes. Enjoy!

   

   
   

Recipe Notes:

*Black Dutched cocoa powder (also called black cocoa powder) is an ultra-Dutched cocoa powder that has been heavily alkalized. This process neutralizes the cocoa's natural acidity, resulting in a very dark color and a smooth, earthy, and mild flavor.