Get ready to hide some veggies inside your chocolate! No one will ever know. We’ll throw a cup of shredded zucchini into our baked chocolate treats and out will come some incredibly moist, fluffy & chocolatey muffins. Best muffin texture you’ve ever tried! All thanks to the multi-faceted green veg we don’t speak of… And, they won’t even know it’s there. It’ll be our dirty- (actually, clean) little secret.
When it comes to searching for a versatile dessert; nothing quite beats these healthy Double Chocolate Zucchini Muffins! They’re a total table chameleon. You can serve them up for brunch with eggs, fresh fruit & coffee on tap. (Talk about weekend incentives to get out of bed!)
Or, you can take them to town for afternoon tea or even post-dinner dessert! Simply top them with your favorite ice cream, throw in some raspberries & a few mint leaves to garnish and you’re set! Just like that, you’ve got an entirely different dessert and a new way to enjoy these muffins. If you’re going to pair them with ice cream, serve them warm. They’ve got one cup of dairy-free chocolate chips folded into the batter that make for a gooey interior, because they melt as these babies bake.
I love using my Veggie Bullet to make these muffins because I can get my zucchini shredded to perfection in less than 10 seconds in a no-mess situation. I just peel the zucchini, and switch to the shredder blade. The rest takes just as long as writing this sentence did.
Basically, I took the blog’s beloved Double Chocolate Zucchini Loaf, made a few changes and adapted it to muffins. I added some applesauce & upped the chocolate chips to amp up the moisture, because muffins can dry up faster when baking than a single loaf pan. Major Bonus: muffins only require half the baking time as a loaf pan! So read on & give these a try, you will love!
Healthy Double Chocolate Zucchini Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 + ¼ cup oat flour *you could also use: spelt flour, GF all-purpose flour, or whole wheat pastry flour (I just love oat flour made from GF certified oats)
- 1 cup of shredded zucchini (about 1 medium/ large zucchini)
- 3 tbsp unsweetened applesauce
- 2 large eggs OR flaxseed eggs for vegan options*
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup of raw cacao powder or unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp espresso powder or instant coffee (it really brings out the chocolate flavor)
- 1/4 tsp of sea salt
- 1/2 cup of melted coconut or avocado oil for high heat (reads: high smoke point)
- 1/3 cup of pure maple syrup (or agave syrup or coconut nectar) *
- 1 cup dairy-free chocolate chips or chocolate chips of your choice
- some more chocolate chips to sprinkle the top before it goes into the oven
*per each egg: 1 tablespoon of ground flaxseed meal to 3 tbsp of water, stir well and allow it to sit for 5 mins and thicken before adding them to the batter. I place them inside the fridge for that time, to speed up the thickening.
* for the maple syrup: if you’ve got a sweeter palate, add ½ cup instead
Instructions
- Turn the oven on to 350 F and line a 12 cup muffin tin with parchment paper baking cups
- First, we shred the peeled zucchini in seconds thanks to the Veggie Bullet. With the unit powered off, switch to the shredder blade (make sure the side labeled “shred” is facing upward through the center spindle). Also, you want to make sure the shooter set is assembled (lid on) so that nothing goes flying around your kitchen before turning it on. And finally, don’t forget to place a bowl directly under the shooter dispenser; so it can catch the shredded zucchini.
- In a large bowl mix the oat flour, sea salt, cacao powder, espresso powder, baking powder & baking soda.
- In a smaller bowl whisk the 2 eggs with the pure maple syrup, add the splash of pure vanilla and coconut oil. Whisk well.
- Incorporate wet ingredients into dry ingredients bowl, whisking as you go.
- Fold in the grated zucchini and the chocolate chips. Zucchini tips: before adding it to the batter, I use a washcloth to squeeze/ ring out any excess water out.
- Pour batter onto each muffin cup, 2 will be empty. I filled these empty ones halfway with water before sticking the muffin pan in the oven. Sans parchment cups on the empty ones.
- Bake for approximately 22-25 minutes. Note, muffins require much less baking time than the loaf version of this recipe. Enjoy!! xx
By: Aleyda | The Dish On Healthy
This recipe was brought to you guys in partnership with my friends at Veggie Bullet.
All views expressed here are my own.
Do you think almond flour would work in place of the oat flour? Also, I love your pictures!
Dear Zoe, I have not tested this recipe against almond flour. Usually, when baking with almond flour, you require a bit of a larger amount. I have an amazing almond flour paleo chocolate cupcake on the blog, simply search “paleo cupcakes”. 🙂