Incredibly moist, flavorful, sweet muffins made with fresh grated zucchini, a generous helping of chocolate chips, and a sweet, slightly crisp streusel topping
There is nothing quite like homegrown produce, and I’m not sure that this is more evident with any vegetable than it is with the zucchini. I didn’t fully realize it until this summer, but supermarket zucchinis are generally a weak, shrunken mockery of the homegrown variety. I witnessed a specimen in my local grocery store yesterday that I almost mistook for an unhealthy cucumber, while at my parents’ house my youngest sister has been harvesting zucchinis she planted that are the length of her arm and four times its width–unwieldy, emerald skinned behemoths that she struggles to carry.
Fortunately, zucchini is an incredibly versatile vegetable (or fruit, if you want to get very technical here) and can be flawlessly, surreptitiously slipped into all kinds of baked goods and casserole dishes, serving as a moisture, texture, and flavor enhancer.
My preference is (obviously, probably) to use zucchini in baked goods, and the fruits of my sister’s labor are being well-used in my kitchen.
While I’m not sure that I’ll be able to find another zucchini recipe that I love quite as much as the Zucchini Roll I made last week, these muffins take at least a close second. Thanks to the shredded zucchini, they are soft, moist and tender, blitzed with melt-in-your-mouth chocolate chips and primped with buttery, brown sugar streusel caps. Everything the perfect muffin should be, sweet but not overly sweet, light, and fluffy.
If you happen to find yourself with an overabundance of zucchini this season, this recipe pays due homage to the vegetable, and if your zucchinis are anything like my sister’s, you’ll have enough to make both these muffins and the Zucchini Roll (seriously, I can’t get enough of that) multiple times.
Chocolate Chip Zucchini Muffins
Ingredients
Streusel
- 1/4 cup flour
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 2 Tbsp cold butter
Muffins
- 1/2 cup canola oil vegetable oil would also work
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 egg
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cup grated zucchini patted dry with paper towel
- 1 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
- 2 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp cinnamon
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 350F and line 12-muffin tin with cupcake liners (this recipe actually yields about 14 muffins. If you have a smaller muffin tin that will fit on the same rack, this will work nicely to cook the extra muffin batter, otherwise discard. Do not over-fill muffin tins).
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Prepare streusel first by combining flour and brown sugar.
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With a pastry cutter, cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Place in refrigerator while you prepare muffin batter.
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In KitchenAid, combine oil, sugars, and milk on medium-low speed until combined (about 1 minute).
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Beat in egg, then stir in vanilla extract.
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Stir in gratex zucchini and chocolate chips.
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In separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.
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Using a spatula, carefully fold dry mix into liquid (do not over-mix).
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Evenly divide batter between prepared muffin cups, filling each liner 3/4 way full.
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Sprinkle muffin batter with streusel.
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Bake on 350F for 20-25 minutes (toothpick inserted in center comes out mostly clean with few crumbs).
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They look very tasty! I have a ton of zucchini growing in my garden, too! I’ve been baking up a storm with all the zucchini.
Thank you, Vanessa! Yeah, I’m up to my ears in tomatoes and zucchini!
First of all, I love your dishes. They’re so beautiful. Secondly, I totally agree with you. The grocery store produce is lame compared to fresh garden vegetables or even the farmer’s market. I love zucchini bread, so I’m sure these muffins will be perfect!
Thank you so much for the kind comment, Erin! And thank you! 🙂
These look so good! I love baking with zucchini and the chocolate is the perfect touch 🙂
You can’t go wrong with chocolate, right? Thanks, Medha!
This recipe is perfect because I have a bunch of fresh zucchini in my garden right now. I really love the addition of the chocolate chips!
Thank you, Ashley!
What a treat, Sam! These muffins look divine, Sam! Chocolate and zucchini sounds perfect together!
Thank you, Anu!
These look delish Sam! Love adding choc. chips to zucchini muffins. I’ve lost count how many zucchini muffins i’ve had the last couple weeks. I have something in the muffin family i’m working on hopefully for next week 🙂 Need to try this version, pinning!
Can’t wait to see what you have planned! Thanks so much, Ana! 🙂
I have still never have zuchinni (or courgette as well call it) muffins, but I really need to try them out. They have vegetables in, so as far as I am concerned they are healthy 🙂
Haha, that sounds about right to me. Thanks, Dannii!
I guess we both had desserts with zucchinis on our minds, love the way you used them and the streusel topping sounds delicious.
Thanks so much, Katalina! Your zucchini dessert looks beautiful!
Chocolate and zucchini is just such a good combo – these muffins look awesome! We tried to grow zucchini one year – epic fail haha Then again, I have never managed to keep anything alive except herbs 🙂
Haha and I seem to struggle with herbs…! Thank you!
Oh my gosh these look delicious Sam! I loooove adding zucchini to cakes, they add such a nice moisture to bakes! I also can’t believe they’re a fruit – I only just found that out!!! So crazy. Chocolate chip muffins are the best – I could definitely eat a whole batch of these! Yum!
Thank you so much, Harriet!
This is the fifth zucchini recipe I’ve seen today! The zucchini is in full swing, baby! These muffins look absolutely mouthwatering. Can’t wait to try :).
‘Tis the season! Thanks so much, Annie!
These zucchini muffins look gorgeous, Sam! They definitely make cakes and muffins more moist! 😀
Thanks so much, Jess!
These look so delicious, Sam! I love adding zucchini to cakes and muffins! 🙂
Thank you, Sina!!
You read my mind here! I love chocolate chips in everything! Especially when I can put them in delicious zucchini muffins like these!
Can’t get enough chocolate! Thanks, Shelby!
These muffins look fantastic! I love the chocolate and zucchini combo! These are the perfect way to use up all that garden zucchini!
Thank you, Kelly!
Your muffins look positively delicious, Sam! I love using zucchini in baked goods..reminds me of carrots in cake cake…they just tend to make the baked good so incredibly moist. And I bet your sister’s homegrown ones were incredible…the store-bought ones are just sad. Great job – I could totally go for one of these muffins! <3
Thank you so much, Beeta! The zucchini really does do so much for the moisture component!
Oh YES, Sam! I absolutely love these! Baking with zucchini is definitely one of my favorite things to do 😉 Zucchini really does add that perfect moist texture to any baked dish! And these muffins look so incredibly fluffy and light! LOVE these, Sam! 😀
Thanks so much, Kennedy! 🙂
Always a great classic to make any morning wonderful!!
Thanks so much, Zainab!
That’s interesting. I’ve made a lot of carrot baked things. I’ve even incorporated beets, but I’ve never added zucchini. That’s kind of embarrassing. But you know what’s not embarrassing?! These lovely muffins. With cinnamon and chocolate, I’m in! Well done, Sam!
Thanks so much, Ben!
Mmmmm, I feel like baking the muffins right now, I do have a zucchini in the fridge from my neighbour’s garden :). I love the plates as well, especially the one with the pattern. 🙂
Thank you, Adina!