Healthy Double Chocolate Zucchini 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!
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.