We’re not quite sure who started baking with zucchini, but we couldn’t be more thankful for their intuition. Thanks to zucchini’s high water content, zucchini dessert recipes are moister and more tender than those without. That’s why we use the squash in these incredibly moist chocolate chip zucchini muffins.
If you’re wondering how obvious the zucchini is, don’t worry, you can hardly taste it, but you’ll still get all the hidden added nutrients. Along with the sneaky green produce, our muffins are studded with mini chocolate chips, walnuts and cozy cinnamon. These zucchini chocolate chip muffins make an exceptional breakfast, midday snack or chocolatey dessert.
Ingredients for Chocolate Chip Zucchini Muffins
- All-purpose flour: This type of flour is our favorite for muffin recipes. Its mix of hard and soft wheat creates a sturdy muffin with a tender crumb.
- Sugar: Granulated sugar sweetens the muffins. You can use brown sugar in a pinch if that’s all you have on hand.
- Baking soda: Just 1 teaspoon baking soda creates a gorgeous rise in the muffins. Don’t skip this leavening agent and double-check that the box in your pantry hasn’t expired to avoid pulling dense, gummy muffins out of the oven.
- Cinnamon: Ground cinnamon is so cozy, warm and sweet that the scent of it is its own feast.
- Egg: Bring your one egg to room temperature and lightly beat it. Doing these steps beforehand will let the egg blend into the batter much more easily and create a tender muffin texture.
- Canola oil: Instead of melted butter, we opt for canola oil in our zucchini chocolate chip muffins because it keeps the muffins moist for a longer time.
- Milk: While we call for 2% milk here, you can get away with almost any type of milk or cream that’s in your fridge, from buttermilk to oat milk. Keep in mind that your choice may alter the texture and taste slightly.
- Lemon juice: You’ll need only about half a lemon to get 1 tablespoon lemon juice.
- Vanilla extract: Floral and delicate, the best vanilla extract can do wonders for homemade baked goods.
- Zucchini: Not sure how to grate zucchini? Use a box grater or a food processor with the grating attachment for the easiest methods.
- Chocolate chips: Mini chocolate chips are adorable and fun, and they disperse into muffins better than regular-sized chips. Is it just me or do they seemingly taste better too?
- Walnuts: I always take a second to toast my walnuts before using them, whether that be in baked goods or salads. Learning how to toast nuts is easy, and toasting brings out their natural nutty sweetness.
Directions
Step 1: Create the batter
Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.
In a separate bowl, beat the egg, canola oil, milk, lemon juice and vanilla extract together.
Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients just until moistened.
Editor’s Tip: Stop mixing the batter once the wet and dry ingredients just come together. You don’t want to over-develop the gluten by mixing too much—it’ll result in tough, dense muffins.
Step 2: Add the mix-ins
With a rubber spatula, fold in the shredded zucchini, chocolate chips and walnuts.
Step 3: Bake the muffins
Fill 12 greased or paper-lined muffin cups two-thirds full with batter. Bake the muffins until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes.
Editor’s Tip: If you have a cookie scoop or ice cream scoop, use it to fill the muffin cups with the batter. A scoop makes it easier to transfer the batter and fill the cups. Plus, it helps ensure the same amount of batter goes into each one.
Recipe Variations
- Add the best muffin mix-ins: These zucchini muffins with chocolate chips are a great canvas for mix-ins. This recipe already calls for walnuts and chips, but if you want to change things up a bit, try adding different types of nuts or chocolate. Go for the best white chocolate chips or dark chocolate chunks for this recipe. You could also add in a sprinkling of dried cranberries.
- Bump up the flavor: With all the prominent ingredients in these muffins (zucchini, chocolate, cinnamon and walnuts), you’ll hardly believe there’s room for more flavor. But subtle ingredients like citrus zest or a few more spices like ginger or cardamom can really tie everything together without being overpowering or out of place.
- Swap carrots for the zucchini: Is your garden’s bumper crop carrots instead of zucchini? Use the same amount of carrots as you would zucchini in these zucchini muffins. And there’s no need to press excess moisture out of the carrots. Just shred the carrots and stir them right into the batter.
How to Store Chocolate Chip Zucchini Muffins
We all want to know the best way to store baked goods so they stay fresher for longer. To keep these zucchini chocolate chip muffins fresh, let them come to room temperature, then stash them in an airtight container lined with a paper towel. The paper towel will help absorb excess moisture, which is key since these zucchini muffins with chocolate chips are particularly packed with moisture. Leave the container on the counter and be sure to eat the muffins within three days.
Can you freeze chocolate chip zucchini muffins?
Absolutely! Chocolate chip zucchini muffins freeze very well. Just let them cool to room temperature and store them in an airtight container lined with a paper towel. They can be frozen for up to two months and then thawed in the fridge overnight or on the counter for a few hours.
Chocolate Chip Zucchini Muffin Tips
Should you dry out the zucchini before putting it in chocolate chip zucchini muffins?
Zucchini is full of water, which can throw off the texture of a recipe, so for the best results, grate your zucchini as normal and then pop the shreds into a fine mesh sieve or clean dish towel. Press and squeeze the squash until it releases most of the moisture inside.
Why are the zucchini muffins so dry?
Zucchini bakes tend to be fairly moist because this squash has a lot of water inside; however, if dry bakes are an issue for you, make sure that you are not overbaking the muffins and that you know how to measure ingredients accurately. Accidentally adding too much flour can make any bake dry.
