Chocolate Zucchini Muffins

Veggies in your muffin? Yes, please. Our Chocolate Zucchini Muffins are the perfect and delicious way to use up that summer bounty of zucchini. No need to squeeze the liquid from the zucchini; it keeps these muffins moist. Speaking of moisture, extra-virgin olive oil instead of butter adds richness and heart-healthy fats; you’ll love it in baked goods! We doubled up on chocolate flavor with bittersweet chocolate and cocoa powder, rich in flavonols to help fight inflammation. Make a batch of these today to eat all week long. Keep reading for our expert tips, including ideas for ingredient substitutions to ensure you can make these with what you have in your pantry.  

Tips from the EatingWell Test Kitchen

These are the key tips we learned while developing and testing this recipe in our Test Kitchen to make sure it works, tastes great and is good for you too! 

• There’s no need to squeeze the zucchini dry for this recipe, as the moisture will help create moist, tender muffins.
• To ensure consistently sized muffins, use a 2-ounce ice cream scoop to portion the batter into the muffin cups.
• Adding espresso powder doesn’t necessarily impart a coffee flavor, but it enhances the rich, chocolaty taste.
• You can substitute the olive oil with canola oil or even coconut oil, and instead of using a bittersweet chocolate bar, you can choose semisweet chocolate for a sweeter muffin.

Nutrition Notes

• Extra-virgin olive oil is a heart-healthy oil that has been shown to help reduce LDL (bad) cholesterol and may help reduce blood pressure. Many of the health benefits of olive oil can be attributed to its high content of polyphenols, which are plant compounds that are anti-inflammatory and have antioxidant actions. That means they help protect your cells from damage. 
• Zucchini is typically bountiful in summer and works well in baked goods because it has a neutral flavor and provides moisture. Zucchini provides fiber, which is excellent for your digestive health and microbiome. It also contains carotenoids, antioxidants that are essential in helping to protect your skin from ultraviolet light damage. 
• Unsweetened cocoa powder may make you feel good because it adds to the super chocolaty flavor of these muffins. But cocoa powder’s nutrients may actually be beneficial for your mood, in addition to helping cognitive function and reducing inflammation.