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I make these chocolate zucchini muffins for my toddler, and he loves them! Once I make a batch, I freeze the muffins and they will last for up to 6 months. I will then pull out one or two muffins at a time and toast them to warm them up. This way, the muffins taste fresh but a batch will last for several weeks!
To increase the fibre content of these muffins, I use whole wheat flour and add a few tablespoons of ground flaxseed. The addition of these fibre-rich ingredients helps to camouflage the texture of the zucchini strands. As a result, kids who may be wary of trying zucchini muffins can really embrace them. For variation, you could try adding 1/2 cup of chopped walnuts, raisins, or dried coconut.
The 1 1/2 cups of drained, grated zucchini is from one medium zucchini that I got from the grocery store. I grate the zucchini using the large holes of my box grater into a large bowl. Then I take small handfulls and squeeze out excess liquid. You should be able to get 2-3 Tbsp of juice from the zucchini. Squeezing out extra liquid helps to prevent the chocolate zucchini muffins from being soggy or mushy.
This recipe calls for black cocoa powder. It acts the same as regular or Dutch process cocoa powder. However, it makes the muffins look more chocolatey than they really are. I once tried making these with regular cocoa powder, and though they tasted the same, my toddler refused to eat them! Nevertheless, if you can only get regular cocoa powder, the recipe will still turn out fine.
If you’re feeling brave, try having your child help you make these muffins. They can help dump ingredients into a bowl, grate the zucchini (with supervision), and mix everything together. Of course, it’ll take a bit longer to make and a lot longer to clean up!
I like to use a mini muffin tin for these chocolate zucchini muffins. The resulting treats are toddler-sized and perfect for snacks, picnics, and school or daycare potlucks. However, you can also bake these in a regular-sized muffin tin, just bake for 23-27 minutes. The same recipe makes 12 regular-sized muffins.
Chocolate Zucchini Muffins
Equipment
- 1 mini muffin tin
Ingredients
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup black cocoa powder
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3 Tbsp flax seeds ground
- 1/2 cup canola oil
- 1/2 cup milk
- 2 eggs large
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup white sugar
- 1/4 cup brown sugar packed
- 1 1/2 cups grated zucchini drained
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Line a mini muffin tin with mini paper liners. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, mix the whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and flax seed. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the oil, milk, eggs, and vanilla. Add the white sugar, brown sugar, and zucchini. Mix to combine.
- Add the wet oil mixture to the dry ingredients. Mix to combine.
- Add the chocolate chips to the muffin batter. Mix to combine.
- Measure about 1 heaped tablespoon into each mini muffin liner, until about 3/4 full. Bake for 15 minutes or until a wooden skewer inserted in the centre of a muffin comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cool 5 minutes in the tin before turning out muffins onto a wire rack to cool completely.
- You can serve the muffins warm or cool.
- You can also store the muffins for up to 6 months. Place them in a freezer bag, seal well, and store in the freezer.
If you’ve got a glut of summer zucchini, take a look at our other zucchini recipes here:
- Zucchini and thyme tart
- Zucchini banana bread with chocolate chips
- Fresh and light zucchini fritters
These look delicious so I will be following your recipe soon #ssp@thenrxtbestthingtomummy @_karendennis
These look perfect for snack time. I used to love making mini muffins for our kids when they were tiny, it’s just so much easier to regulate portions etc. Great tips for disguising the healthy but not necessarily appealing stuff too.
I like the addition of the flaxseed and whole wheat flour. Sounds delicious. Visiting from Senior Salon Pit Stop.
Those look so yummy!
Congratulations, Meinhilde, I will feature your post at SSPS 313. See you Monday: https://esmesalon.com/tag/seniorsalonpitstop/
These look so good.
Thanks for sharing the recipe, I’m always looking for ways to trick my kids into eating more veggies. I’ve never heard of black cocoa I will have to look it up and see if I can buy it in the UK. #MMBC