Zucchini. One of the best summertime veggies. If you have been around here (as in my blog) for long enough, you all know how I am a zucchini feen. Once they start growing, I take them all. From my garden, from your garden, even my sisters mother in laws extra, plus the million I get with my farm share. At any given time I could have upwards of fifty zucchini spilling out all over the counter and shoved into any crevice I can find in the fridge. But the excess never lasts long because I eat them all. Mostly to myself, and I feel great about it. (Ok, I do end up freezing some of it for winter, but I am still eating it all!)
And every year when the first zucchinis start to hit the ground, all the people are up in my squash asking for zucchini bread, like they can’t possibly make it themselves or anything. But I don’t mind what so ever because sharing is caring and I guess I care. Plus I like to bake so it works, you know?
When I was recently asked to bake a loaf of zucchini bread, I made the decision to go the muffin route instead because aren’t muffins just individual little breads that take half the time to cook them a loaf? Yup, and that is very nice when you want to minimize any hot oven time because summer is hot enough as it is.
And because they are muffins, they acceptable for breakfast, even with all the chocolate chips.
Win!
Now to the muffins!
The stuff. A good sized zucchini, flour, baking soda and powder, salt, brown sugar, oil, cinnamon, raw sugar, apple cider vinegar, and some chocolate chips.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and powder, salt, cinnamon, and brown sugar until completely incorporated and there are no lumps of sugar.
Shred the zucchini. I used a smaller shredder so the pieced are very thin but a normal sized box grater shred works just as well
Add zucchini, oil, and vinegar to bowl and fold in until completely combined.
Then fold in chocolate chips. Duh.
Scoop batter into a greased muffin pan and sprinkle the tops with raw sugar. Pop into the hot oven to bake.
Oh yeah. Perfect.
Pop out of tins to cool on a rack.
And eat. All to yourself or share, that is on you.
-C
Chocolate Chip Zucchini Muffins
makes 12 muffins
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon cinnamon
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup neutral flavored oil
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 medium zucchini (2 cups packed shredded zucchini)
2/3 cup chocolate chips
1/4 cup raw sugar (to sprinkle the tops) optional
Preheat oven to 350.
Grab a large bowl and add in the flour, baking powder and soda, cinnamon, and salt. Whisk together then add in the brown sugar and whisk in, making sure there are no big clumps.
Shred zucchini uniti you have 2 hefty cups. If you have a fine shredder, use that, if not, a normal sized shred will do.
Place shredded zucchini into the bowl along with the oil and the vinegar. Start folding with a spatula until everything is incorporated. Resist the urge to aggressively mix, it takes a minute for the liquid from the zucchini to absorb into the flour. (Over mixing it will make the muffins tough) Once the batter is uniform, fold in chocolate chips.
Scoop batter into a well greased or lined muffin tin. Sprinkle the tops with raw sugar and pop the pan into the preheated oven. Bake for about 30 minutes or until fluffily and domed and a tester stuck in one comes out clean.
When baked, remove from oven and pop out if tin. Let cool on a wire rack but feel free to eat one warm.
Store uneaten muffins in airtight container at room temp for a 2-3 days but if it is really hot out, just stick them in the fridge. Also can be frozen.