Deliciously moist chocolate muffins that are filled with chocolate chips, juicy red cherries and freshly grated zucchini. They’re refined sugar free and taste just like a warm fudgy brownie!
Alright babes, who here LOVES baking with zucchini?? Wait what? You’ve never tried it?! Well get ready for your world to be rocked! I’m sharing with you all my amazingly delicious double chocolate cherry zucchini muffins today that require one secret ingredient – ZUCCHINI!
Why bake with zucchini?
I absolutely LOVE baking with zucchini for sooo many reasons!
- It creates a light and airy texture in all of your baked goods.
- It helps to keep your cake, cupcakes, muffins, etc. moist.
- It’s practically tasteless after it bakes, so it’s great for sneaking in some veggies without people knowing it!
Tips when baking with zucchini
- Make sure to squeeze as much excess moisture from the zucchini as possible. Zucchini has a very high water content so it gives off a ton of moisture when it’s cooked. This is great for keeping baked goods moist but it can also cause them to become soggy if there’s too much moisture. I’ve found 2 ways that work well for “wringing out” the moisture.
- Nut milk bag/Cheese cloth Method: Simply place the grated zucchini in your nut milk bag/cheese cloth and squeeze the zucchini until liquid starts to drip from the bag. I usually do this about 3-4 times until very little liquid comes out. Then place the zucchini on a paper towel and let it air dryer for about 5 minutes before using. (Here’s the nut milk bag I use – Ellie’s Best Nut Milk Bag)
- Paper Towel Method: Spread the grated zucchini out on a large paper towel and then cover it with another large paper towel. Press down on the top towel with your hands until the moisture starts to “bleed” through. Once all the zucchini has been “pressed”, discard the top towel and let the zucchini air dry for about 10 minutes before using. (This method requires a longer tome to air dry.)
Can I turn these zucchini muffins into zucchini bread?
Yes, yes and YES! Fun fact: This recipe was actually modified from my original chocolate chip zucchini bread recipe! All I did was change the cook time and viola – a super simple muffin recipe was born. 🙂
- To make zucchini bread: Follow directions below for mixing. Pour batter into a loaf tin that’s been lined with parchment paper. Bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes.
How to store zucchini muffins
Simply place your muffins in a ziplock bag and keep them in the fridge until your ready to eat. They should last for about one week. (I would NOT recommend freezing theses muffins! When they thaw they can become very soggy.)
- To reheat: Place the muffins in the microwave for 30 seconds – 1 minute OR place them in the oven at 350 degrees for 2-3 minutes.
Because these muffins are so easy and taste fantastic, they’d be absolutely PERFECT for your next weekend meal prep, a quick breakfast, snack or even a healthy dessert! (Plus kids love them too!)
Hope you’re all having the best day loves and I can’t wait to hear what you think of these muffins!
[Made one of my recipes? Make sure to tag my social media @kalefornia_kravings – I love seeing what you create!]
Double Chocolate Cherry Muffins
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients:
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- ¾ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- ½ tsp instant coffee (optional but HIGHLY recommended)
- ½ cup chocolate chips (milk, dark, semi-sweet or dairy free)
Wet Ingredients:
- 2 eggs
- ¼ cup coconut oil, melted
- ¼ cup plain greek yogurt
- ½ cup coconut sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla
- ¾ cups cherries, pitted & chopped
- 1½ cups grated zucchini (about 1 large zucchini)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a muffin pan with muffin liners.
- In a bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, salt, instant coffee (if using) and chocolate chips. Set aside.
- In a separate larger bowl, whisk together the eggs, coconut oil, greek yogurt, coconut sugar and vanilla. Once fully combined, stir in the cherries.
- Add your flour mixture to the egg mixture and stir with a large spoon. Stir in the zucchini. (The batter will be VERY thick!)
- Spoon the batter evenly into each muffin tin and fill it a little over half way. (These muffins muffins will only rise a little bit.) Place them in the oven and bake for 14-15 minutes.
- Once the muffins are done, let them sit in the tins to cool for 5-8 minutes.
- Take them out and serve or store them in the fridge for later.
Easy and delicious! Love coconut flavor with chocolate and 🍒. I did use dark chocolate chunks. Will make this again!
I’m so happy you loved them Lora! These are definitely some of my favorite muffins to make! 🙂