A one bowl wonder, these whole grain double chocolate zucchini muffins are incredibly soft, incredibly easy and incredibly delicious.
Even though I already have a plethora of zucchini baked goods recipes around here, I can’t believe it’s taken me over 11 years of blogging to solidify a best-ever chocolate zucchini muffin.
I mean, shouldn’t a chocolate version have been the tippity top of the priority list of all zucchini muffins ever?
Who am I? I’m slightly disappointed in myself, I’m not going to lie.
But let’s let the past stay in the past and focus on the future. The future is definitely these double chocolate zucchini muffins. A one bowl wonder, they are easy and absolutely incredible.
One Bowl Muffins
One bowl, a few measuring cups, and some stirring devices, and you’re good to go.
It’s pretty straightforward:
- Mix the sugar, buttermilk*, oil or butter, and eggs.
- Add the dry ingredients (no need to sift or mix them beforehand)
- Stir in the zucchini and chocolate chips
*An easy sub for buttermilk is half milk, half sour cream.
Wringing out zucchini
For this recipe, you’ll want to shred 1 1/2 cups zucchini. I like it finely shredded.
After shredding, grab handfuls and lightly squeeze the handfuls of zucchini over the sink. No need to employ a towel or special liquid extracting device. A quick squeeze is all you need.
I’m sure there’s some scientific evidence somewhere that zucchini juice takes years off your hands.
After squeezing you’ll have a little over a cup of shredded zucchini. More or less. It doesn’t need to be exact.
Fill the muffin cups (liner, optional) and bake! My favorite muffin tin in all the world is the USA brand aff. link (not sponsored; just love it).
It’s a “standard” size, but I think the muffin cups are ever so slightly deeper than my old muffin tins which means slightly taller muffins and less overflowage.
And it makes me happy to have slightly taller muffins and less overflowage, what can I say.
I get an even 12 muffins out of this recipe, but you might get upwards of 16 out of the batch depending on the exact size/brand of your muffin tin. No muffin tin shaming, I promise. Whatever kind you have will work great (take note in the recipe for oven temp if using a dark coated muffin tin).
all-purpose flour vs whole wheat flour
I’ve made separate batches of these muffins with all-purpose flour and whole wheat flour.
The whole wheat lends a nuttier taste and slightly heartier texture, but both types of flour work great and produce a fantastic muffin.
No matter which flour you use, make sure not to pack the flour into the cup or the muffins will be dry and dense. My method for flour measuring if I’m not using a scale is:
- fluff…and then fluff again
- scoop
- level
Judging by the fact that we’ve made these muffins every week for the last month and a half (excluding RV trip week) speaks to how much we love them.
And also judging by the fact that Brian has yet to taste them because they are wolfed down long before he gets home from work is another testament (sorry, Bri).
My squash bugs are threatening to destroy my zucchini plants this year, and the main reason I’m sad about that is because it means less double chocolate zucchini muffins in my immediate future.
Also, squash bugs might possibly be the worst invention ever. I hate them so much.
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Yield: 12-16 muffins
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 17 minutes
Total Time: 37 minutes
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup (5.5 ounces) granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup buttermilk (or half milk/half sour cream)
- 1/4 cup neutral-flavored oil or melted butter
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup (5 ounces) all-purpose or whole wheat flour
- 1/2 cup (1.5 ounces) unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 1/2 cups (10 ounces) shredded zucchini
- 1 1/2 cups (9 ounces) chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. (If using dark coated muffin tins, preheat to 325 degrees F.) Add liners to 12-cup muffin tin or spray muffin cups with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the granulated sugar, buttermilk (or sour cream/milk), oil or butter, eggs, and vanilla until well-combined. Add the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt, and baking powder. Stir until just combined and a few dry streaks remain.
- Lightly squeeze zucchini over the sink by handfuls to wring out excess water. Add to the bowl with the chocolate chips. Stir until the zucchini and chocolate chips are evenly mixed (but try not to over mix or the muffins might be dense instead of light and fluffy).
- Portion the batter evenly into the muffin tin, filling the cups about 2/3 full. Depending on the size of the muffin tin, you may need to bake a second batch (the recipe makes between 12-16 muffins).
- Bake for 17-19 minutes until the tops spring back lightly to the touch. Let the muffins cool for 2-3 minutes in the pan before removing them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
Flour: if you aren’t using a scale to weigh the ingredients (that’s ok!), measure the flour by fluffing the flour in the container really well, scooping in the cup and leveling off. Don’t pack the flour in the measuring cup or the muffins will be dry.
Cocoa Powder: I’ve also made these with Dutch-process cocoa. They are darker and slightly richer in chocolate flavor. If doing so, swap the baking soda and baking powder amounts (1/4 teaspoon of baking soda, 1 teaspoon of baking powder).
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Recipe Source: from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe
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