Double Chocolate Zucchini Muffins

Double Chocolate Zucchini Muffins are the perfect use for those garden zucchini! Rich and chocolatey, tender and delicious, but made with a handful of healthier ingredients like almond flour, oats, maple syrup, applesauce and of course, lots of zucchini! Kid-friendly, they taste like dessert but make the perfect breakfast or snack! Stock the freezer and add one to a school lunchbox!

Why We Love Them!

• Perfect for Gardeners! - If you grow zucchini in the garden, you probably have a pile of them on your counter by July! And if you're not a gardener, ask a neighbor, anyone growing zucchini has plenty to share! These chocolate zucchini oat muffins are the best recipe to celebrate zucchini season! Make a double batch and stock the freezer! Try these Zucchini Banana Bread Muffins too!

• Better Ingredients - I'm not going to go a far as calling these decadent Double Chocolate Zucchini Muffins a health food! However, I have swapped many of the usual baking ingredients with some healthier ones, and let's not forget they are loaded with a vegetable! They don't taste a bit healthy, but hidden veggie chocolate muffins are better for you than your average muffin! They are also high protein zucchini muffins, and by swapping maple syrup as the sweetener they are refined sugar-free muffins too!

• If you Love Healthier Baking Swaps, check out my Black Bean Protein Brownies, Morning Glory Muffins, and our favorite Healthy Zucchini Banana Cookies!

Ingredients

• Flour - I've used some basic all purpose flour while subbing some of it with almond flour and oats. You could also use a gluten-free flour mix.

• Almond Flour - Zucchini muffins with almond flour are a great way to bump up the nutrition. While there is still some white flour, half the dry ingredients have been swapped out with almond flour and regular rolled oats to make these protein zucchini muffins. We love these Almond Cherry Scones with almond flour too!

• Rolled Oats - Adds protein, fiber and texture to the muffins and is a healthier alternative for some of the white flour.

• Cocoa Powder - The first layer of chocolate in these Double Chocolate Zucchini Muffins! I like to buy the dark cocoa powder if you can find it!

• Baking Powder and Baking Soda - The leavener for the muffins. Not opening the oven door while they bake for 25 minutes also ensures your muffins will rise and have nice beautiful muffin tops!

• Salt - Don't skip the salt. Salt is a flavor enhancer and brings out the best taste in all your ingredients.

• Maple Syrup - I love swapping real maple syrup to make these less processed, refined sugar-free muffins. It provides the sweetness for the muffins and an extra rich depth of flavor.

• Applesauce - Zucchini muffins with applesauce is a substitute for some of the oil needed in baking. I try to avoid using vegetable oil, so coconut oil or melted butter compose the rest! If you're out of applesauce, 1 mashed banana can be substituted. In the fall, stock your freezer with your own Homemade Applesauce!

• Coconut Oil or Butter- Applesauce allows these zucchini muffins to need less oil in general, and coconut oil is a healthier substitute for the vegetable oil often used in muffins.

• Eggs - Rich in omega 3, organic eggs pack the extra nutrition in these high protein zucchini muffins. If you are attempting to make these muffins vegan, I think a flax egg sub should work, but I have not tried it!

• Zucchini - Last but not least, these muffins are full of garden fresh zucchini! And when baked, the zucchini is barely noticeable making these hidden veggie chocolate muffins a kid-friendly favorite! I used 1 medium sized zucchini, which packs down to about 2 cups when shredded. No need to squeeze the liquid out, it provides moisture for the muffins.

• Chocolate Chips - The second chocolate in these double chocolate oatmeal muffins, we love dark chocolate chips or even chopped up candy bars!

Variations

• Chocolate Banana Zucchini Muffins - Zucchini muffins with applesauce are deliciously moist, but if you're out of applesauce, 1 mashed banana is a great substitute. It gives these muffins a slightly different flavor, and adds a little nutrition variation.

• Nut-Free Muffins - It's easy to make these muffins nut-free if your family has an allergy, or if your school has nut allergy rules and you want to send these double chocolate oatmeal muffins in a lunchbox. Simply substitute the almond flour with coconut flour, oat flour, or more all purpose flour or rolled oats.

Instructions

Zucchini Muffins couldn't be easier and are a perfect recipe to get kids helping in the kitchen!

Step 1 - Made all in one bowl for easy clean up, just whisk the dry ingredients together first, then add everything else and stir until well combined.

Step 2 - Portion into 12 lined or sprayed muffin cups and add a few chocolate chips to the top. Bake in a preheated 375° oven for 25 minutes.

Recipe Tips

• Storage - Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days, or in the freezer for up to 6 months. I like to freeze them in small packs of 3 so if I am taking my 2 kids to the park or somewhere, I can just grab one for a quick healthy snack to thaw on the way!

• Silicone Muffin Cup Liners - Have you tried them?! I love them! For one, they are eco-friendly and reusable, no throw-away paper liners needed. They are great for keeping your muffins from sticking without needing to butter or spray a muffin tin. They clean up easy and can go right in the dishwasher. Not very expensive either, I've been using mine for years!

• Do Not Open That Oven Door! - As much fun as it is to peek in to see how your muffins are coming along, don't do it. I don't know the science or the reasoning, but something about opening that oven door can make the muffins sink instead of rise. That steady hot air will give you nice big chocolate domes! Set a timer and let them go the full 25 minutes before checking on them!

• Dark Chocolate - Try dark chocolate chips and dark chocolate cocoa powder for an extra depth of flavor. Maybe it's even better for you?! Yes please!

• Use Up Candy Bars - If you have little kids, you no doubt have a stash of candy that seems to always be accumulating faster than you want them to be eating it! Halloween, Valentine's Day, the birthday piñatas, it can be too much! Chopping up chocolate candy bars to use in place of the chocolate chips in this recipe is a great way to "repurpose" it! These Peanut Butter Nutella Protein Balls are good for that too!

If you made this recipe, I'd love to hear how you liked it! Be sure to leave a star rating by clicking the stars in the recipe card, or leave a comment below!

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