Monday, August 7, 2017

Chocolate zucchini muffins

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Muffins are always a hit in my house. My younger son prefers my banana chocolate chip muffins, and I have to say those are pretty good. But both boys like zucchini muffins, and I get a perverse thrill out of making sweets with vegetables. I normally make zucchini muffins with wheat germ, but sometimes I change it up and add the chocolate. No surprise - they prefer the chocolate version.

Two notes: I use coconut sugar for this recipe because it brings a dark, rich flavor you can't get from white sugar. And I prefer olive oil in this recipe. I think it works well with the chocolate. However, feel free to use canola, grapeseed or another more neutral vegetable oil if you think the olive overtones would bother you.



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Chocolate zucchini muffins
These chocolate zucchini muffins are easy to make and good for you - I put them in my kids' lunchboxes without guilt.
Ingredients
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 1/2 cups sugar (I prefer coconut sugar)
  • 1 cup olive oil
  • 1/3 cup dark cocoa powder
  • 1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • 2 cups zucchini, grated
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, olive oil, cocoa powder and vanilla until well blended. Add the zucchini and mix to incorporate.In another bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Add all at once to the egg mixture and fold with a rubber spatula until the flour is mostly incorporated. Be careful not to mix too aggressively - this will make your muffins tough. Fold in the chocolate chips.Line a 24-cup muffin tin with paper liners. Using a spring-loaded ice cream disher, fill each muffin cup about 3/4 full. Bake about 25 minutes, until the muffins spring back when you touch them and a toothpick comes out clean (except for the melted chocolate chips, which you're bound to hit when testing). As soon as you can touch them, remove the muffins from the pan and cool on a wire rack.Note: I put one dozen in the freezer immediately so I have something left for the boys' lunchboxes. If I left the whole batch on the counter, they'd be gone in a day.
Details
Prep time: Cook time: Total time: Yield: 24 muffins

10 comments:

Monet said...

Smile. I also get pleasure out of baking sweets with vegetables. We think alike! And I want you to know that I most certainly am voting for you! Have a great Monday, Erika!

Margaret Studer said...

I hope you publish this on LA Food Examiner. I want to link to it for my Chilren's Halloween Tea Party.

Erika Kerekes said...

@Margaret - your wish is my command. I'll put it on my LA Cooking Examiner column within the next day or two.

Jackie said...

Anything chocolate is a always a winner, but even better to get some nutritional value out of it! Looks like a decadent use of veggies. (Wow, that's something I never thought I'd type.)

Erika Kerekes said...

Here you go, Margaret: http://www.examiner.com/cooking-in-los-angeles/chocolate-zucchini-muffins-a-healthy-lunchbox-treat

Sarah said...

Erika, thank you for sharing the recipe and the actual muffins. HUGE HIT. So, where do I buy this sugar? Is it at most grocery stores? Don't recall seeing it before.

Erika Kerekes said...

http://floridacrystals.com/content/155/northeast.aspx - this is a listing of retailers of Florida Crystals in the Northeast. Hope you can find it!

Carlee said...

Yummy muffins! I also used carrot/apple sauce instead of the olive oil. Even more smiles for me about veggies hidden in the muffin :) Thanks for the recipe! And my daughter loves them -- the are dissappearing from the counter faster than I could imagine.

Ania said...

This muffin looks fantastic. Thank you Lisa for this wonderful recipe!!!

Jeff Kaufman said...

E - thank you for sending me this recipe idea in response to my zucchini FB post. In spite of having two non-eaters of anything green (especially a vegetable!), both ate and LIKED them. You rock!!!

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