Last weekend, 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 downtown.
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, cozy spices (trust me—chocolate + spices is the best thing in the whole world!), and lots of sneaky zucchini… But only 100 calories!
To make these healthy muffins, you’ll start with white whole wheat flour (like this) and unsweetened cocoa powder (like this). 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. And with how much cocoa powder you’re adding, there’s no need for Dutched or special dark—regular ol’ unsweetened works just fine!
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. This is the kitchen scale that I own, and it has been the best $20 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.
To lower the calorie count, you’ll just use 1 tablespoon of butter or coconut oil. Yes—that’s all these muffins 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!
You’ll also sweeten your muffins with another one of my favorite ingredients: vanilla crème 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 warm vanilla flavor, and although you can find it at many health-oriented grocery stores, I always 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!)
Still with me? Just a couple more important ingredients! Starting with freshly grated zucchini that has been patted dry with paper towels to remove as much moisture as possible. Otherwise, that moisture would get released while the muffins bake, and it would add too much water to the muffins and cause them to collapse while cooling. Then a sprinkling of cinnamon and nutmeg, two of my favorite spices in zucchini bread… And a showering of mini chocolate chips! These are my current obsession because they taste so rich and melt really well!
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 muffins and feature them in my Sunday Spotlight series!
| Healthy Double Chocolate Zucchini Muffins | | Print |
- 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 vanilla crème stevia
- ½ cup (120g) plain nonfat Greek yogurt
- ¾ cup + 2 tbsp (210mL) nonfat milk
- 1 ½ cups (160g) grated zucchini, patted dry*
- 3 ½ tbsp (49g) miniature chocolate chips, divided
- Preheat the oven to 350°F, and lightly 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, egg whites, vanilla extract, and vanilla crème 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.
Whole wheat pastry flour, regular whole wheat flour, or all-purpose flour may be substituted for the white whole wheat flour.
Be very careful when measuring the flour and cocoa powder, especially the latter! Use the method outlined in the links above or a kitchen scale. (I highly recommend a kitchen scale! This is the one I own, and it has been the best $20 I’ve ever spent. I swear by it!) Too much of either will make the muffin batter very dry, and too much of the cocoa powder will also make the muffins taste bitter.
I highly recommend using the vanilla crème stevia. (You’ll use it in all of these recipes of mine, too!) If you prefer, ½ cup (120mL) pure maple syrup, honey, or agave may be substituted for the vanilla crème stevia, and the milk should be reduced to 6 tablespoons to compensated for the added liquid.
These muffins are meant to taste similar to 70% dark chocolate. For a sweeter taste, add an additional ¼ to ½ teaspoon of vanilla crème stevia. Alternatively, substitute 2-4 tablespoons of pure maple syrup for the same amount of milk.
Any milk may be substituted in place of the nonfat milk.
Measure the zucchini before patting it dry. You must 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 shredded zucchini on top. Place another double-thick layer of paper towels on the zucchini, and gently press down until the top towel turns wet.
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.
{gluten-free, clean eating, low fat, low sugar}
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You may also like Amy’s other recipes…
♡ The Ultimate Healthy Chocolate Mini Muffins
♡ Healthy Mocha Chocolate Chip Mini Muffins
♡ Healthy Zucchini Chocolate Chip Mini Muffins
♡ Healthy Zucchini Banana Bread
♡ Healthy Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread Oatmeal Cookies
♡ Healthy Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread
Hello Amy – I have a sugar substitute that I’ve been using and love. It is called Sola. Could you tell me if I just made that one change using the granulated Sola instead of the Stevia how much I should use? When baking with it it is equal in amounts to regular sugar. Thanks so much and I can’t wait to make these to take up north with my girlfriends.
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe, Katherine! I don’t have any experience with Sola, but I did some research on it right now. It looks like the first ingredient (and therefore the main ingredient by weight!) is erythritol. Is that correct? If so, then I’d recommend using ½ cup AND reducing the milk to ½ cup + 2 tablespoons to compensate for the added volume. (I have experience with other erythritol-based sweeteners that are a 1-for-1 substitute for sugar, so that’s what I’m basing my recommendation on! 🙂 )
That substitution should yield muffins that have a similar taste and texture. These muffins are meant to taste similar to 72% dark chocolate, so if you’d like sweeter muffins, then you can add another 2-4 tablespoons and then reduce the milk by 1-2 tablespoons to compensate. Does that make sense?
I can’t wait to hear what you and your girlfriends think of these muffins!