The kids loved the chocolate flavor and had no idea there was anything healthy tucked inside. A true win-win!
I enjoy baking muffins because they’re simple, comforting, and ideal for making ahead. One-bowl recipes are my favorite — minimal dishes, straightforward steps, and they freeze beautifully for quick breakfasts or snacks. Muffins can be portioned and stored individually, which makes mornings and busy afternoons much easier.
My mother-in-law taught me to add grated zucchini to quick breads and muffins. Zucchini contributes moisture without a strong vegetable flavor, so you get a tender crumb and a bit of extra nutrition without compromising on taste. I adapted her classic zucchini bread idea into a chocolate muffin version, and the batter was so rich and creamy I had to stop myself from sampling too much before baking. The final muffins were perfectly moist with a deep chocolate taste the kids devoured — and they never suspected the secret ingredient.
A practical tip for filling muffin cups neatly: use a 4-tablespoon cookie scoop. It helps portion the batter evenly and keeps the pan cleaner, and kids especially enjoy using a scoop when they help out in the kitchen. These muffins are forgiving and don’t require special equipment — a whisk and a bowl will do the job for most of the mixing.
Chocolate Zucchini Muffins
Ingredients
- 1½ cups flour
- ½ cup cocoa
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ cup oil
- ½ cup milk (I use almond milk to keep it pareve)
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla
- ½ cup white sugar
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 1½ cups grated zucchini (approx. 1 large)
- 1 cup chocolate chips
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Prepare a 10-cup muffin tin by greasing it or lining with paper liners.
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In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, and baking soda until evenly combined.
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Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Add the oil, milk, eggs, vanilla, white sugar, and brown sugar. Stir until the batter is smooth and no streaks of dry flour remain — a whisk works well here, so there’s no need to drag out a mixer.
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Fold in the grated zucchini and chocolate chips gently until they are evenly distributed throughout the batter.
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Spoon or scoop the batter into the prepared muffin cups, filling each about three-quarters full. Bake in the preheated oven for approximately 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached.
Notes
There’s no need to squeeze excess liquid from the grated zucchini. The moisture it adds helps create a tender, cake-like crumb. If your zucchini is especially watery, you can gently press a little with a paper towel, but leaving most of the moisture intact gives the best results.
This recipe makes about 10 muffins. It scales easily — double the ingredients for a larger batch. For a different flavor, try stirring in chopped nuts, swapping some or all of the chocolate chips for chunks, or using a mix of cocoa and melted dark chocolate for a richer profile.
Recipe by Faigy Murray
10 muffins (approx.)