There’s a zucchini in my dessert!
I love zucchini: the taste, the color, even the name. (It’s fun to say, right?) Therefore, it is only natural that I’d enjoy zucchini paired with one of my other great loves: chocolate!
Such as in the above recipe: Chocolate Grasshopper Pie.
In general, zucchini lends moisture and softness to recipes without leaving an offending flavor. So, although it might sound strange, the squash makes a great addition to desserts.
I’m not the only one who likes zucchini in her desserts. My friend, Lindsay, does as well. And if Lindsay likes it, it must be good… because Lindsay is a best-selling cookbook author!
Lindsay and I first became friends through our blogs, and I’ve been so excited to watch my sweet friend flourish into a vegan-cookbook phenom. You might know her super-cute blog, The Happy Herbivore. Today, I am honored to have Lindsay as a guest on my blog, highlighting a recipe from her cookbook—Chocolate-Zucchini Muffins!
In Lindsay’s words: Moist and chocolatey, you won’t believe that these muffins are healthy, almost completely fat-free and have a veggie slipped in! This is also a great way to use up all that leftover summer harvest zucchini!
Chocolate Zucchini Muffins
Servings: 12
- 1¼ cups whole wheat pastry flour
- ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa
- 1¼ tsp baking powder
- ¾ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 whole banana, mashed
- ½ cup raw sugar
- ½ cup unsweetened applesauce
- ¼ cup non-dairy milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup shredded zucchini
- ½ cup raw sugar (optional)
Preheat oven to 350F. Grease muffin pan and set aside. If using paper liners, lightly spray inside of liners with cooking spray to prevent sticking. Whisk flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon together. In another bowl, cream mashed banana with applesauce and sugar (use extra 1/2 cup for a very sweet, dessert-like muffin). Add in soymilk, vanilla, zucchini and any other optional add-ins you might like such as vegan chocolate chips or chopped raw walnuts. Stir until evenly combined. Add flour mix to wet mix in 3-4 batches and stir until just combined. Spoon batter into greased muffin pan and bake 18-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Chef’s Note: These muffins store well both in the fridge and freezer & the raw sugar in this recipe may be reduced to 1/2 cup.
EDIT: The cookbook giveaway is now closed.
Congratulations to Jemma!
Please email me, at chocolatecoveredkatie@msn.com, with your mailing address, so I can get your cookbook to you! 🙂
My favorite use for zucchini as of late is to grate them in the food processor and add them to turkey burgers with italian herbs. It’s an easy way to make my hamburger-loving family eat a far leaner burger with a hidden veggie they’d never touch otherwise.
Also, my favorite muffin flavor is bran. Boring, I know, but bran muffins are so good warm! Nutty, moist, and slightly sweet but not in that Otis Spunkmeyer heart attack muffin way.
I use it, sliced thin, as a gluten-free pasta substitute in lasagne – it’s brilliant! Love chocolate cake with it too though 🙂
Lindsay’s blog’s great; I love the recipes, the writing – and the elephant logo 🙂
I love making zucchini pasta noodles, tossing in some bean burgers shaped into “meat”balls, and drenching it in sweet basil tomato sauce.
I love zuchinni fritters-yummy!!
Nothing beats a fresh, hot out of the oven, blueberry muffin..although I’m not one to turn my back on lemon poppyseed or raspberry marzipan either 😉
I love zucchini bread! I also love pasta with zucchini. It is my husband’s favorite summer vegetable!
I love chocolate chip muffins!!
So funny that i just read this post, because I posted about zucchini on my blog today! it is one of my favorite vegetables of all time, so I’m glad it’s in season! gotta try the grasshopper pie for sure 🙂
I definitely like making zucchini muffins! Well I like baking and general. And adding vegetables to it makes it strangely more fun, lol. My favorite muffin..depends on my mood XP I usually don’t like chocolate flavored muffins, but like muffins with chocolate in them. Otherwise, blueberry! or banana nut on occasion. I could never eat poppyseed, the texture weirds me out!
I love Lindsay a LOT…and zucchini muffins! I also loooove zucchini bread, you would never know that there are veggies in them!