Our family has a vegetable garden each year. I absolutely love “harvest” time, but there’s times where you can get a whole lot of one vegetable all at once. This frequently happens with zucchini, and then you’re looking on Google and Pinterest for what to do with your plethora of zucchini. If you’re wondering what to do with all that zucchini, here’s an awesome “hidden vegetable” recipe. I adapted this original recipe to muffin form and incorporated ingredients I generally have on hand. This recipe calls for honey as the sweetener, so is great if you’re looking to stay away from refined sugar. It’s gluten free, dairy free, and paleo as well, so it’s a pretty allergy-friendly recipe if you need it to be (though it does contain nuts). These light and fluffy muffins almost have the texture of a cupcake, and they are one of my favorite ways to use up some zucchini or summer squash. Enjoy!
Chocolate Zucchini Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups zucchini, shredded
- 2 large eggs
- 3/4 cups natural peanut butter
- 1/3 cup honey
- 1/4 cup dark cocoa powder
- 2 Tbsp almond flour (or substitute with gluten free baking flour) (yes, only 2 tablespoons)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 pinch salt
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips (dairy free if necessary)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Shred your zucchini using a food processor or cheese grater (I prefer the food chopper for smaller pieces). Remove excess liquid from the zucchini by squeezing it between paper towels (honestly, I often skip this step and they still turn out great).
- Using stand mixer, mix the zucchini with the eggs until well blended. Add all remaining ingredients. Mix until they are completely incorporated and are a deep chocolate color.
- Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick poked into the center comes out clean.
- Let cool and serve (or eat warm)! Keep leftovers in a sealed container in the fridge.
Don’t forget to pin this recipe for later reference!
