Healthy Double Chocolate Zucchini Muffins

 
Recently, one of my best friends from high school drove into town for a birthday celebration. On Sunday, the morning after the party, she stopped by my house for a short visit before rejoining her other circle of friends at a local brewery for lunch.  

We spent part of our time catching up while sitting on my back patio in comfy wicker chairs (a belated thanks for that birthday present, Mom and Dad!). As we talked, I asked about her garden since she had been sharing plenty of pictures of her produce on Instagram lately… And because I needed ideas for my own patio space!

She quickly listed off her plants, including tomatoes, bell peppers, cucumbers, basil, chard… And a few winter things she planned to plant, like Brussels sprouts and kale and beets.

As I listened, soaking in her knowledge, I started envisioning my dream garden. Meyer lemon trees (I could basically eat these every single day!), basil, rosemary, tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce, sweet potatoes (although that could be dangerous with my recipe for these!)…
 

 
And zucchini, so I could bake treats like these healthy double chocolate zucchini muffins! They literally taste like a cross between zucchini bread, muffins, and fudgy brownies. They’re full of rich chocolate flavor, a hint of cozy spices (trust me — chocolate + spices is the best thing in the whole world!), and lots of sneaky zucchini that keeps them extra moist.

They’re my new favorite breakfast… And easy to make! That’s basically the best possible combination, don’t you think??
 

KEY INGREDIENTS TO MAKE HEALTHY DOUBLE CHOCOLATE ZUCCHINI MUFFINS

Let’s talk about what you’ll need to make these healthy double chocolate zucchini muffins! Since you probably have baking staples like baking powder and salt already, we’ll stick with the more interesting ingredients.

Flour. To make these healthy muffins, you’ll start with white whole wheat flour. White whole wheat flour has the same health benefits as regular whole wheat flour, but a lighter taste and texture, which makes it perfect for these tender muffins. That lets their chocolate flavor and super moist texture shine!

Tip: If you’d like to make your healthy double chocolate zucchini muffins gluten-free, then see the Notes section of the recipe. I’ve included my recommendation there!

Cocoa powder. For the first chocolate component of these double chocolate muffins, you’ll need regular unsweetened cocoa powder. It’s also called natural unsweetened cocoa powder — and sometimes just unsweetened cocoa powder! To give these muffins a rich brownie-like flavor, you’ll use almost equal parts of cocoa powder and flour. I know it may seem like a lot… But it yields an incredible taste!

Hint: I don’t recommend substituting Dutched cocoa powder or special dark cocoa powder. These have different acidity levels, which affects the taste and texture of your muffins. Stick with regular unsweetened cocoa powder!

Spices. Perhaps a little surprising for chocolate muffins… But it just feels wrong to bake zucchini goodies without any spices! You’ll add cinnamon and a teensy bit of nutmeg. I love the way they make these muffins taste extra cozy and comforting!
 

 
Greek yogurt. To keep these healthy chocolate zucchini muffins low calorie, you’ll just use 1 tablespoon of butter or coconut oil. Yes — that’s all they need! The rest of their tender texture comes from Greek yogurt, one of my favorite ingredients in healthier baking. It adds the same moisture to the batter for a fraction of the calories, and it gives your muffins a protein boost too!

Sweetener. You’ll sweeten your muffins with another one of my favorite ingredients: liquid stevia. Stevia is a plant-based, no-calorie sweetener that contains nothing refined or artificial (aka it’s clean eating friendly!), and it’s highly concentrated. You just need 1 ½ teaspoons for all 12 muffins!

This is the kind I use because I love its sweet flavor and don’t notice any strange aftertaste like with some other stevia products. Although you can find it at many health-oriented grocery stores, I buy mine online here because that’s the cheapest price I’ve found. (And you’ll use it in all of these recipes of mine, too!)

Tip: Many stevia brands and products have different sweetness levels, so they’re not necessarily 1-for-1 substitutes for each other. For the best flavor and results, I highly recommend using the same one that I do!
 

 
Zucchini. Still with me? Just a couple more important ingredients! It’d be impossible to make these muffins without… Freshly grated zucchini. (No surprises here!) Use the standard-size holes of a box grater to grate it.

Tip: Resist any urge to add more zucchini to the batter! That throws off the ratio of wet and dry ingredients, and it can lead to your muffins collapsing and turning out overly wet or dense inside.

Mini chocolate chips. Time for the second chocolate component: mini chocolate chips! I love using mini ones because their smaller size ensures every bite contains multiple morsels of chocolate. These are my current favorite because they taste so rich and turn beautifully gooey and melty in the oven!
 

HOW TO MAKE HEALTHY DOUBLE CHOCOLATE ZUCCHINI MUFFINS

Does anything beat the aroma of freshly baked chocolate treats?? You’ll be able to tell me soon… So let’s cover how to make the best ever chocolate zucchini muffins to give you a chance to report back!

Measure correctly. It’s extremely important to measure the flour and cocoa powder correctly, using this method or a kitchen scale. Too much of either will dry out your muffins and make them taste bitter, rather than deliciously rich and chocolaty.

Tip: This is the affordable kitchen scale that I own, and it has been the best money I’ve ever spent! I use it to make every recipe that I share with you because it ensures my treats turn out with the perfect taste and texture every time.

Thoroughly dry the zucchini. It may sound a bit strange, but this is a key step in all of my zucchini-filled baking recipes! After freshly grating the zucchini, you’ll pat it dry with paper towels to remove as much moisture as possible. Otherwise, that moisture would get released into the batter while the muffins bake… Which would add too much liquid and cause your muffins to collapse while cooling.

It only takes a couple of minutes, but it makes a huge difference. By thoroughly drying the zucchini, your healthy chocolate zucchini muffins will turn out perfectly moist — and a bit fudgy, like brownies!

Alternating additions. This is a trick many bakers turn to for cake batter, and I’ve found it works really well for muffins and quick breads too. You’ll alternate between adding the flour mixture and the milk to the bowl. This helps guard against overmixing (which often creates a tough, gummy, or rubbery texture!). By using alternating additions, and gently folding in each portion, your healthy chocolate zucchini muffins will turn out perfectly soft and tender!

Bake. It’s time! …well, almost. Just before baking, I like to press a few mini chocolate chips into the top of each muffin. I think it’s a pretty finishing touch — and makes them look even more tempting!

Then slide your muffins into the oven, set a timer, and wait… Impatiently, if you’re anything like me! They’ll be done when the tops feel firm to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with a few crumbs attached.
 

 
How amazing do those look?? As a chocoholic… I’m always a big fan of brownie-like breakfasts! 😉 And when you make your own, remember to snap a picture and share it on Instagram using #amyshealthybaking and tagging @amyshealthybaking IN the photo itself! (That guarantees I’ll see your picture! 🙂 ) I’d love to see your healthy double chocolate zucchini muffins!

Healthy Double Chocolate Zucchini Muffins

© Amy's Healthy Baking

Yields: 12 muffins

These soft and moist muffins are full of zucchini, a hint of spices, and rich dark chocolate flavor (similar to 70% dark chocolate!). They’re a chocoholic’s dream come true — and they practically taste like fudgy brownies for breakfast! They’ll keep for at least four days (if not longer!) if stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. They freeze really well, too!

4.56 from 9 votes

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Ingredients 

• 1 ¼ cups (150g) white whole wheat flour or gluten-free* flour (measured like this)
• ¾ cup (60g) unsweetened cocoa powder (measured like this)
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp ground nutmeg
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1 tbsp (14g) coconut oil or unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
• 2 large egg whites, room temperature
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 ½ tsp liquid stevia (see Notes!)
• ½ cup (120g) plain nonfat Greek yogurt
• ¾ cup + 2 tbsp (210mL) nonfat milk, divided
• 1 ½ cups (160g) grated zucchini, patted dry (see Notes!)
• 3 ½ tbsp (49g) miniature chocolate chips, divided

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350°F, and coat 12 muffin cups with nonstick cooking spray.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the coconut oil or butter, egg whites, vanilla extract, and stevia. Stir in the Greek yogurt, mixing until no large lumps remain. Stir in 2 tablespoons of milk. Alternate between adding the flour mixture and remaining milk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture, and stirring just until incorporated. (For best results, add the flour mixture in 4 equal parts.) Gently fold in the zucchini and 3 tablespoons of mini chocolate chips.
• Divide the batter between the prepared muffin cups, and gently press the remaining chocolate chips into the tops. Bake at 350°F for 22-25 minutes or until the tops are firm to the touch. Cool in the muffin cups for 10 minutes before carefully transferring to a wire rack.

Notes

IMPORTANT FLAVOR NOTES – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: These muffins are meant to taste similar to 70-75% dark chocolate. For sweeter muffins, add 2-4 tablespoons of granulated sucralose along with the liquid stevia. Alternatively, substitute 2-4 tablespoons of pure maple syrup for an equal amount of milk. (For example, add 2 tablespoons of pure maple syrup, and reduce the milk to ¾ cup.)

 

I love how the spices make these muffins taste more cozy and comforting, but you can easily reduce or omit them for a purer chocolate flavor, if you prefer!

 

IMPORTANT MEASURING NOTE – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: It’s really important to measure the flour and cocoa powder correctly, using this method or a kitchen scale. (← That’s the one I own!) Too much of either ingredient will make your muffins turn out crumbly or dry. Too much cocoa powder can also make them taste bitter, rather than rich and chocolaty.

IMPORTANT ZUCCHINI NOTES – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: Measure the zucchini before patting it dry. You must thoroughly pat it dry to remove the excess moisture because that excess moisture will cause the muffins to collapse while cooling. To pat the zucchini dry, lay a double-thick layer of paper towels onto a cutting board, and arrange the freshly grated zucchini on top. Place another double-thick layer of paper towels on the zucchini, and firmly press down until the top towel layer turns completely wet. Continue to repeat with a fresh set of double thick paper towels on top until you can’t press any more moisture out of the zucchini.

 

Do NOT add more zucchini! Just like not thoroughly drying your zucchini, additional zucchini will cause your muffins to collapse while cooling.

 

IMPORTANT MUFFIN CUPS NOTE – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: Be very careful if using liners! Generously coat the liners with nonstick cooking spray before adding the muffin batter. This batter will stick to liners like superglue if they aren’t coated with cooking spray.

 

FLOUR ALTERNATIVES: Whole wheat pastry flour, regular whole wheat flour, or all-purpose flour may be substituted for the white whole wheat flour.

 

COCOA POWDER NOTE: I like using Hershey’s regular unsweetened cocoa powder because it’s affordable, easy to find (at least in the US!), and has a good chocolate flavor. I do not recommend substituting Dutched or special dark cocoa powder. Both Dutched and special dark cocoa powder have a different acidity level, which affects the taste and texture of your muffins.

 

CINNAMON NOTE: I prefer Saigon cinnamon (I love this one!) because it has a stronger and sweeter flavor than regular cinnamon.

 

EGG WHITES NOTE + ALTERNATIVE: These muffins require 2 full egg whites. The whites contain the majority of the protein in eggs, and that protein is required to ensure the muffins maintain their shape and texture while cooling. If you prefer to use whole eggs, use 2 whole eggs AND reduce the milk by 1 tablespoon to compensate for the added liquid volume from the yolks.

 

STEVIA NOTES + ALTERNATIVES: Many stevia brands and products have different sweetness levels, so they’re not necessarily 1-for-1 substitutes for each other. For the best results, use the same liquid stevia that I do. I buy it online here (← that’s the best price I’ve found!), and you’ll use it in all of these recipes of mine too!

 

However, if you really prefer to omit the liquid stevia from the muffins, substitute ½ cup (120mL) pure maple syrup, honey, or agave for the liquid stevia AND reduce the milk to 6 tablespoons to compensate for the added liquid volume. Alternatives, substitute ½ cup (96g) coconut sugar, brown sugar, or granulated sugar AND reduce the milk to ½ cup + 2 tablespoons to compensate for the added volume.

 

MILK ALTERNATIVES: Any milk may be substituted in place of the nonfat milk.

 

GLUTEN-FREE OPTION: For the gluten-free flour, I recommend the following blend: ½ cup (60g) millet flour, ½ cup (60g) tapioca flour, ¼ cup (30g) brown rice flour, and 1 teaspoon xanthan gum. Many store-bought blends will work as well, if measured like this.

 

HOW TO STORE: Store the fully cooled muffins in an airtight container in the refrigerator. They should keep for at least 4 days (if not longer!).

 

FREEZING TIPS: Peel off the paper liners before freezing. (It’s harder to peel them off after thawing or reheating the muffins!) I like to thaw individual muffins in the microwave on 50% power until they’re warmed all the way through. They almost taste freshly baked like that!

 

{gluten-free, clean eating, low fat, low sugar}

DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?I'd love to hear what you think of it in a comment below! If you take a picture, tag @amys.healthy.baking on Instagram or use the hashtag #amyshealthybaking.

View Nutrition Information + Weight Watchers Points
 
 
You may also like Amy’s other recipes…
♡  The Ultimate Healthy Chocolate Muffins
♡  The Ultimate Healthy Zucchini Muffins
♡  Healthy Chocolate Chip Zucchini Mini Muffins
♡  The Ultimate Healthy Zucchini Bread
♡  Healthy Zucchini Banana Bread
♡  Healthy Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread
♡  Healthy Zucchini Oatmeal Cookies
♡  …and the rest of Amy’s healthy muffin recipes and healthy zucchini-filled recipes!