Three great tastes that go great together. These Chocolate Zucchini Muffins with Peanut Butter are a delicious twist on a sweet zucchini muffin that I'll bet you didn't see coming!
I originally shared this recipe in 2014. I've recently updated this post with additional information, including a recipe card complete with nutritional information, but the recipe itself has remained unchanged.
**Please Note - The printable recipe card with detailed instructions, complete ingredient measurements, and nutritional information for making Chocolate Zucchini Muffins is available at the end of this post. OR you can hit the "jump to recipe" button (found above) to be taken directly to the recipe.
The ingredient list:
**Note - The following lists of ingredients plus kitchen tools and equipment contain affiliate links (highlighted in blue) for your consideration and shopping convenience. #CommissionsEarned
- eggs
- granulated sugar
- brown sugar
- canola oil
- cocoa powder
- pure vanilla extract
- shredded zucchini
- all-purpose flour
- baking powder
- baking soda
- salt
- ground cinnamon
- semi-sweet chocolate chips
- peanut butter chips
Kitchen tools and equipment needed:
- muffin tins
- large scoop
- baking spray (for the cupcake liners, optional)
- large mixing bowl
- hand mixer or stand mixer
- spatula
- measuring cups and spoons
- box grater
- clean kitchen towel (for squeezing water from zucchini)
- chef's knife
- cutting board
- kitchen timer
- cooling rack
- muffin tin liners
What I wrote about this recipe in 2014:
You know it as well as I do, zucchini recipes are everywhere this time of year.
Every blogger in every corner of the world is trying to come up with something different and unusual that you've never seen before.
Now, I'm not saying that my recipe for Chocolate and Peanut Butter Zucchini Muffins are all that different, or unique, but what I am saying is that they are delicious and I hope you'll decide to try them.
Why this recipe works:
These muffins are very moist and tender and they have the wonderful, rich taste of chocolate and peanut butter that I think is just about everyone's favorite flavor combination.
They're sweet, but not overly sweet making them perfect for breakfast, a lunchbox treat, or an after-school snack for the kids.
Plus, the zucchini is virtually invisible and tasteless so they're an excellent way to get your kids to eat their veggies without them even knowing they're having something healthy!
Can these zucchini muffins be frozen after baking?
They freeze exceptionally well, so eat a few now and stash a few in the freezer to enjoy when fresh garden zucchini is a distant memory...and as we all know, that happens a lot sooner than anybody ever hopes for.
How long will this recipe take to make from start to finish?
Preparing and mixing the ingredients will take approximately 10 minutes.
Baking the muffins takes about 30 minutes.
All total, you'll be able to eat these muffins in about 45 minutes (a little cooling time is never a bad thing).
Not too shabby for something deliciouslouly homemade with a deceptive healthy factor that is virtually undetectable.
What happens if the water isn't squeezed from the grated zucchini?
The entire structure of the batter will be off and the muffins will be a soupy mess that won't bake properly.
How to easily remove the excess water from grated zucchini:
How to store chocolate zucchini muffins once baked:
Store these in an air-tight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
After that, keep them refrigerated (in an air-tight container) for an additional 2-3 days if needed.
The step-by-step photo instructions for making Chocolate Zucchini Muffins with Peanut Butter:
- In a large bowl with a hand mixer (or a stand mixer), beat the eggs, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until light and fluffy.
- Add the oil, cocoa, vanilla, and shredded zucchini (which has been squeezed dry), and blend.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon until just combined.
- Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and blend until combined, being careful not to overmix.
- Switch to a wooden spoon and gently but evenly stir in the chocolate and peanut butter chips.
- -Line 2 muffin tins with cupcake liners and spoon the batter into each tin, filling until ¾'s full.
- -Bake in a preheated oven for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean.
Additional recipes using zucchini:
*Eggplant Zucchini Bread (shown below and featured in the video)
Yep, you read that right… Eggplant Zucchini Bread. It’s so moist and flavorful, AND it’s a great way to bump up the nutrition level of your next zucchini quick bread without anyone being the wiser.
*Zucchini and Sweet Corn Souffle (not shown)
When you’re looking for an unusual vegetable dish that pales all others in comparison, then this Zucchini and Sweet Corn Soufflé is just the recipe you need.
*Spaghetti Squash and Zucchini Pancakes (shown below)
Spaghetti squash and zucchini pancakes are so good that you’ll forget they’re good for you! You’re going to love these savory vegetable pancakes!!
*Layered Zucchini Parmesan (not shown)
Layered Zucchini Parmesan has all the flavors you love about pizza or lasagna but without all those annoying carbs to weigh you down.
*Chocolate Zucchini Muffins with Peanut Butter (shown below) THIS IS THE PLACE!!
Below is the printable recipe card along with the exact ingredient measurements and nutritional information for making today's sweet zucchini muffins with chocolate and peanut butter chips.
If you've made this recipe, or are excited to make this recipe, I'd appreciate it if you'd take a moment to leave it a star rating on the recipe card, along with a comment if you're so inclined. Thank you. 🙂
Chocolate Zucchini Muffins with Peanut Butter
Ingredients
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup brown sugar packed
- 1 cup canola oil
- ⅓ cup cocoa powder
- 1½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 3 cups shredded zucchini, that has been squeezed dry do not omit this step
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1½ cups peanut butter chips
Instructions
- -Preheat oven to 350° Fahrenheit
- -In a large bowl with a hand mixer (or a stand mixer), beat the eggs, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until light and fluffy.
- -Add the oil, cocoa, vanilla, shredded zucchini (which has been squeezed dry), and blend.
- -In a separate bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon until just combined.
- -Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and blend until combined, being careful not to overmix.
- -Switch to a wooden spoon and gently but evenly stir in the chocolate and peanut butter chips.
- -Line 2 muffin tins with cupcake liners and spoon the batter into each tin, filling until ¾'s full.
- -Bake in a preheated oven for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean.
- -Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack.
Nutrition
I sincerely hope you've enjoyed today's sweet zucchini recipe as much as I've enjoyed bringing it to you!
Paula says
Love the *teacher's glasses* and these muffins look absolutely scrumptious!
Connie | URBAN BAKES says
I gotta tell ya, I hear you with zucchinis popping up everywhere in recipes but I've actually never tried it! It must be good as you say because it's so popular now. Thanks for the reminder to try this soon 🙂
Aly ~ Cooking In Stilettos says
Love how there is zucchini in this 🙂
Angela| Mind Over Batter says
Yes!! This is probably the only way I can get my kids to eat zucchini. I need to try these. I must be the only food blogger left who doesn't have a zucchini recipe on her blog. And yes, please provide a tutorial on painting items!
valmg @ From Val's Kitchen says
Wow! My brother is looking at these drooling!
Elizabeth says
These look so good! I love the combo of chocolate, zucchini, and peanut butter 🙂
Liz Berg says
This might be the only way I'll get my hubby to ever eat zucchini! And I must say, I'd pick this over sauteed zucchini, too 😉
Courtney @ Neighborfood says
I always need more recipes to use up zucchini, and I especially love the ones that include chocolate! I love that you can freeze thesee too!
Back for Seconds says
Now THIS is how I want to eat my zucchini from now on. YUM!!