Healthy Chocolate Zucchini Muffins

Last week I ranted about our zucchini harvest “gone wild” in this post for Lemon Zucchini Bread with Almond Flour (which we devoured, by the way!). Today, I’m continuing my mission to use this prolific vegetable in baked goods that aren’t loaded with refined sugar or oils.

Are you ready for a chocolate and zucchini recipe? There are tons of recipes pairing these two ingredients on the internet and you may even have a favorite of your own. But I think if you try this one, you’ll be bookmarking it or pinning it to make on repeat. Here are a few reasons why:

• We’re hiding vegetables in chocolate! (Okay, so that one’s obvious.) But I learned last week that one of our adult daughters doesn’t like zucchini and I’ve been wondering if she’s even related…lol. You really can’t taste it in these muffins.
• The muffins are made with whole grain wheat flour, which has protein and fiber.
• There’s no refined sugar.
• To further reduce sugar, I used low-sugar Lily’s Baking Chips.
• There are flax seeds (or ground flax) which is a high-fiber food.
• The recipe is vegan.
• Lastly, they’re chocolate-y delicious!

We didn’t find these Chocolate Zucchini Muffins sweet at all (so you might be disappointed if you’re going for sweet) — but they are chocolate-y, moist and filling. Enjoy them for breakfast, a snack or dessert!

Notes on Ingredients

• Cacao powder: I usually have this on hand, purchased from Target. But I was out of cacao, so subbed unsweetened baking cocoa, which seemed to work fine.
• Flax: The original recipe didn’t specify if it’s supposed to be flax seed or ground flax. I bought a bag labeled “flax seed” at my grocer’s, which turned out to be a fine powder. I think I prefer this to actual seeds for this recipe.
• Dairy-free chocolate chips: My grocery store doesn’t carry this specialty item. I chose to use Lily’s Dark Chocolate Baking Chips which are sweetened with Stevia. You can use whichever type of chocolate chips you prefer or have on hand, of course.

One Quick Note: I recommend skipping the paper cupcake liners (shown here) and using a non-stick cooking spray or silicone muffin pan instead. Because these are so moist, the papers stick to the muffins big time!

If you give these a try, be sure to let me know what you think about healthy Chocolate Zucchini Muffins in the comments below.