Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread Oatmeal Cookies
Yields: 15 cookies
 
These chewy cookies are absolutely irresistible! They’re full of cozy spices, sweet zucchini, and lots of melty chocolate. Leftovers will stay fresh for at least a week if stored in an airtight container—if they last that long!
  • 1 cup (100g) instant oats (measured like this and gluten-free if necessary)
  • ¾ cup (90g) whole wheat or gluten-free* flour (measured like this)
  • 1 ½ tsp baking powder
  • 1 ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
  • ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • 2 tbsp (28g) coconut oil or unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
  • 1 large egg, room temperature
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • ½ cup (120mL) pure maple syrup
  • 1 cup (110g) freshly shredded zucchini
  • 2 tbsp (28g) miniature chocolate chips, divided
  1. Whisk together the oats, flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in a medium bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the coconut oil, egg, and vanilla. Stir in the maple syrup. Add in the flour mixture, stirring just until incorporated. Fold in the zucchini and 1 ½ tablespoons of the chocolate chips. Chill the cookie dough for 30 minutes.
  2. Preheat the oven to 325°F, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
  3. Drop the cookie dough into 15 rounded scoops onto the prepared sheet, and flatten slightly using a spatula. Gently press the remaining miniature chocolate chips into the tops. Bake at 325°F for 10-12 minutes. Cool on the pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.
Notes: It’s extremely important to measure both the oats and flour correctly using the spoon and level method or a kitchen scale. Too much of either will dry out the cookies and leave them crumbly instead of chewy.

Instant oats are also known as quick-cooking or minute oats. They come in large canisters, just like old-fashioned oats. They are not the ones in the small flavored packets of oatmeal. To make your own, add the same amount of old-fashioned oats to a food processor, and pulse 10-12 times.

For a gluten-free version, use gluten-free instant oats and the following gluten-free flour blend: ½ cup (60g) millet flour, 2 tablespoons (15g) tapioca flour, 2 tablespoons (17g) brown rice flour, and ½ teaspoon xanthan gum.

The amount of moisture in your zucchini will be the biggest determining factor in the texture of your cookie dough. If the cookie dough is fairly wet and sticky, the cookies will spread while baking. If the cookie dough is stiff, the cookies will barely spread, if at all, so you’ll need to flatten the cookie dough before baking.

For more tips and answers to all other questions, including substitutions, see my Oatmeal Cookie FAQ page.

{gluten-free, clean eating, low fat, low calorie}
Recipe by Amy's Healthy Baking at https://amyshealthybaking.com/blog/2016/01/03/chocolate-chip-zucchini-bread-oatmeal-cookies/