Chocolate Zucchini Muffins

So much Zucchini, so little time.

At the end of the farm season, you likely have an abundance of zucchini – but how can you preserve and find creative ways to devour this low carb vegetable? Here’s a great way to sneak it into a sweet treat.

Can’t use your zucchini right away? use a food processor or manually shred with a cheese grater to freeze for up to a year. When the time comes to use the shredded zucchini, allow it to defrost and be sure to squeeze out as much water as possible to prevent soggy baked goods.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 Cup Flour
  • for this recipe, I used Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour, but regular white flour works great, too!
• 1/2 Cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
  • for this recipe, I used 1/4 cup cocoa & 1/4 cup cacao, instead
• 3/4 teaspoon Baking Soda
• 1/4 teaspoon Baking Powder
• 1/4 teaspoon Salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 Cup Chocolate Chips
• 2 Eggs
  • for a vegan option, you can use 2 flax eggs or 2 chia seed eggs as substitutions. I would recommend flax egg for this recipe.
• 1/2 Cup Unsweetened Apple Sauce
  • You can also use 1/2 Cup Vegetable Oil
• 1 Cup Sugar
  • white sugar, coconut sugar, or any sugar substitute should work, too!
  • On a sugar detox? You could try it:
    • without sugar
    • use 2-3 tablespoons of maple sugar instead
    • try 1-2 very ripe mashed banana(s)
• 1 Teaspoon Vanilla (Did you know Rodelle Vanilla, the leading vanilla supplier in the world, is located in Fort Collins?!)
• 1.5 Cups Raw Grated Zucchini
  • make sure you’ve squeezed out any excess water: allow the grated zucchini to sit in a strainer for a couple hours in the sink, use cheesecloth, or simply use some paper towels to wrap and squeeze out as much liquid as you can. It can be up to 1/2 a cup of water!
• OPTIONAL ADDITIONS:
  • 3 tablespoons of Hemp Hearts
  • 1 tablespoon of ground Flaxseed (if you didn’t use a flax egg) to add a nuttier flavor
  • 1 teaspoon Maca Root Powder for added vitamins & minerals

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F degrees
2. Prepare a muffin tine with spray or paper cups
3. Combine all dry ingredients in a bowl:
   • flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, & chocolate chips
4. In a separate bowl (make sure it’s a large bowl – you will add the dry ingredients to this later), whisk together:
   • eggs, apple sauce or oil, sugar, & vanilla
5. Once the egg mixture is thoroughly combined, mix in the grated zucchini
6. After zucchini is stirred in, start to gradually add in the dry mixture:
   • Stir SLOWLY and not too much – just enough to have it fully mixed, try not to overmix
7. Fill muffin tins about 2/3 – 3/4 full
8. Bake in the oven for 20-35 minutes – check with a toothpick or fork in the center of a muffin to see if it comes out clean
9. Remove from the oven and let sit in the pan for about 10 minutes
10. Store in an air-tight container – if they aren’t all eaten immediately, they should last for up to a week 😉

Recipe inspired from Mom’s Need to Know blog

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