Chocolate Zucchini Muffins

The kids will love these chocolate muffins and the best thing about them is that they are made with a secret ingredient - zucchini! Packed full of calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, and plenty of potassium, the kids won't even notice they are healthy. I love baking with zucchini as it incorporates into cake and bread mixes really well, without having an overpowering flavour, making it a great way to get some extra veggies into our kids! It also helps to keep cakes and bread moist, reducing the need for extra oil or fat in recipes. A top tip for baking with zucchini is to make sure you finely grate it, that way it blends seamlessly with the batter. Also make sure you squeeze out as much excess liquid from the zucchini as possible, this prevents the batter becoming wet and runny. The muffins should be stored in an airtight container and will last up to 5 days. You can also freeze the muffins for up to 2 months. Simply thaw and enjoy!

Ingredients

• 1 large zucchini, finely shredded

• 1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour

• 1/4 cup cocoa powder

• 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

• 1 tsp baking soda

• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 2 Tablespoons olive oil

• 1/3 cup raw honey or maple syrup

• 1/2 cup brown sugar

• 1/3 cup unsweetened apple sauce

• 1/4 cup almond milk

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 180C (160C for fan forced oven). Spray muffin tin and set aside.​

2. Finely grate zucchini (either by hand or in a food processor).

3. Place shreded zucchini onto a clean tea towel and squeeze out excess liquid and set aside.

4. In a large bowel mix together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.

5. In a separate bowl, whisk together oil, honey and brown sugar. Then add apple sauce, milk, and vanilla extract. Mix until well combined.

6. Fold shredded zucchini into wet ingredient mix.

7. Gently mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, mixing until smooth and fully incorporated. Stir through chocolate chips.

8. Scoop muffin batter evenly into the muffin tin. The batter should be near the top. Bake for 20-25 minutes, placing a knife into the middle of the muffins to test if cooked - if the knife comes out clean they are ready.

9. Remove muffins from oven and let cool for 15 minutes before transferring onto a cake cooling rack.

10. Serve on their own or with berries and coconut cream.