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! 🙂
I love zucchini just by itself, but my mom & I also like to put it in just about anything (muffins, bread, cookies) to trick my sister and dad into eating it… of course we always tell them after they’ve gobbled it up.
I like raw zucchini with hummus. I will have to get more creative this year when my garden starts producing! And my favorite muffin would have to be banana chocolate chip!
The only zucchini I’ve tried in sweets is in zucchini bread and it’s delicious. Those chocolate zucchini muffins sound amazing!
I’ve been eating so much zucchini lately–this recipe looks amazing! I adore roasted or grilled zucchini!
I love using zucchini in loaf banana loaves!
I love zucchini in zucchini bread with chocolate chips of course! My favorite muffin is a vegan whole grain muffin with any kind of berry in it. I love Lindsey because not only does she create wonderful vegan recipes but they are extremely low fat which is an extra step I try to follow every day.
I love grilled or roasted zucchini in pasta or sandwiches.
When I was younger, my parents had a garden and they grew they most massive zucchinis! My mom would make a zucchini bread that was out of this world. That is definitely my favorite use for zucchini!
I actually have the HH book already and I LOVE it!! I’ve made those muffins before and they are SO good! No-one believed me when I said there was zucchini in there! 😛
And that reminds me- I HAVE to make your chocolate grasshopper pie!! It looks soooo yummy! 😀
Have an AMAZING day Katie!! <3
Ahh these look so good! I love zucchini too 🙂 I make a really great vegan stuffed zucchini with kasha. And I’ve made your grasshopper pie with it before. My favorite muffin flavor.. Chocolate of course with extra chocolate chips!