Double Chocolate Muffins - with zucchini

 I love chocolate muffins, especially double chocolate ones. This recipe contains healthy zucchini but it's blended in case you want to be sneaky and because it saves loads of time.

Double Chocolate Zucchini Muffins

Here's what you need:

Big Bowl

Blender (or food processor)

Spatula

Wooden Spoon

Measuring Cups - 1 Cup, 1/3 Cup, 1 Tablespoon, 1 Teaspoon, 1/4 teaspoon

Cutting Board, Peeler and Knife for the zucchini

Cookie Scoop or large spoon/gravy ladle

Wet Ingredients

2 large eggs

1 cup milk

2 teaspoons vanilla

Approximately 2 cups blended zucchini - (3 small or 2 medium or 1 large)

Dry Ingredients

3 cups flour

1/3 cup cocoa powder

2 cups sugar (optional to use half the amount of sugar)

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Optional 1 cup chocolate chips

Optional 1 cup quick oats

 

Here's what to do:

Get the oven pre-heating to 350 degrees (F) or 175 degrees (C). Prep those pans - grease your muffin trays or lay out the muffin liners if you prefer. 

Combine the dry ingredients into a large bowl (That's 3 cups flour, 1/ cup cocoa powder, 2 cups sugar, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg). Stir it all together and put this bowl aside. 

Peel and roughly chop the zucchini into thumb size pieces and pop them into your blender or food processor. Add 1 cup of milk and blend until smooth. Then add the remaining wet ingredients, that's 2 large eggs plus 2 teaspoons vanilla and blend together, it won't take long. 

Next add the wet ingredients to the big bowl of dry ingredients and mix them together. You can use a wooden spoon, spatula combo to work it all in so you have a lovely consistency that looks and smells amazing.

If the mixture is too wet/runny you can add up to 1 cup quick oats to create a thicker batter.

Lastly if you want to add any chocolate chips now is the time to do so. Mix them in really well. 

Spoon the mixture into your prepared muffin trays. I use a cookie scoop but a gravy ladle or any spoon will do. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes. Use the toothpick trick to make sure they are done. If the inserted toothpick comes out wet, pop them back in for a few more minutes. 

Makes approximately 24 – 30 muffins. They freeze well once completely cooled so load a bunch in there and you can grab them out for school snacks, quick breakfasts or when you really want a piece of chocolate cake but there isn't any.