Today, Day 4 of the Summer Produce Series we are bringing you chocolate! Not exactly the typical summer crop that comes to mind, but once you try this, you’ll be making it late into the fall with that large zucchini crop!
Zucchini is a great crop to grow, even if you have a smaller yard. Each plant yields several pounds of vegetables and the blossoms are delicious to cook with too! The plants are hardy and there are many varieties to choose from. We like to grill them with a little salt, pepper and olive oil for a dinner side. When we aren’t grilling them, we’re baking them like this…
The inspiration for these muffins came from a recipe that is often made in Dave’s family. They make a chocolate zucchini cake that is moist and divinely full of chocolate. His great aunt made the cake many times throughout the years and it became a signature dish to bring to potlucks and parties. In fact, we made the cake on one of our first dates. Dave had made it several times for friends and we decided to make it together. So, I guess you could say this started our love for cooking together!
A cake is a great dish when you have a crowd or large family, but our family is still small and apparently it’s not healthy to devour a whole cake on a regular basis! (Say what?!) So, we came up with these muffins. They are a portable version of the original with a couple twists. A little less dessert and a little more breakfast.
They will keep in an airtight container on the counter for 4-5 days. Or you can wrap them individually and freeze them for up to a month. Just pull out however many you want and thaw them overnight.
It may seem like a lot of ingredients, but I promise, they all add to the layers of flavor in these beauties.
Hope you enjoy them! I promise, your kids won’t even know that they are high in protein and full of green veggies!
Chocolaty Zucchini Muffins
Who says you can’t have chocolate for breakfast? This muffin recipe is full of moist zucchini and protein to keep you full.
Ingredients
- 1/2 c. butter, softened
- 3/4 c. sugar
- 1/2 c. maple syrup
- 1/2 c. olive oil
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 c. plain, Greek yogurt
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
- 4 Tbsp. cocoa
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp. cloves
- 1/2 tsp. ground cardamom
- 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
- 2 c. zucchini, finely grated
- 1 c. chocolate chips
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 F. Fill 24 regular muffin cups with paper liners or spray with cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, cream the butter, sugar and maple syrup using a hand mixer. (Or the paddle attachment if using a stand mixer.)
- Add the oil, eggs, yogurt, and vanilla. Mix until fluffy.
- In a separate bowl, blend the flour, cocoa, baking soda, salt, baking powder and spices.
- Slowly add the dry ingredients to the batter in two batches and mix until incorporated.
- Fold the zucchini and chocolate chips into the batter.
- Using a cookie scoop, fill each muffin cup 2/3 of the way with batter.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes, then enjoy!
The Sprouted Cottage 
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