Zucchini Chocolate Chip Muffins
For those of you that have leftover zucchini from your gardens, here is a delicious gluten free zucchini chocolate chip mini muffin recipe. Our garden is just petering out with the severe frost we had last weekend and I need to get going on pulling up all the wilted plants from the yard.
Meanwhile, with this colder weather I’ve been a baking fiend and my family is fully taking advantage of this, loading themselves up with gluten free goodies.
¼ cup coconut flour
¼ teaspoon celtic sea salt
¼ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 eggs
¼ cup grapeseed oil
¼ cup agave nectar
1 ½ cups grated zucchini (do not pack down when measuring)
½ cup chocolate drops
- In a medium bowl, combine coconut flour, salt, baking soda and cinnamon
- In a large bowl, combine eggs, oil, agave and zucchini
- Mix dry ingredients into wet thoroughly
- Stir in chocolate chips
- Grease a mini muffin tin with grapeseed oil and lightly dust with coconut flour
- Spoon approximately 1 tablespoon of batter into each muffin tin
- Bake at 350° for 18-22 minutes
- Cool and serve
Last night I had a fabulous time teaching at the Culinary School of the Rockies. My next class is on October 28th at Bauman College, right here in the heart of Boulder.
My busy week started off with a super fun interview Monday on 9 News‘ Colorado and Company television program, during which we discussed my high protein gluten free cookbook and ate lots of treats that I brought to the show.
The busy week continues this Sunday as I will be appearing at the ADA conference in Denver. For more information please see my book tour page.
In Freebie news, the winner of last weeks Friday Freebie (book by Robyn O’Brien), The Unhealthy Truth is Danielle! Congratulations.
This weeks Friday Freebie is for a box of Kroeger Herb’s Female Tea and a bottle of their Female Balance™ Herbal Supplement. Leave a comment below by Wednesday, October 21st for your chance to win.
UPDATE: this giveaway has ended and the winner was Michelle
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These LOOK amazing :) I might experiment with the leaveners to make them poof up some more…
These sound absolutely perfect! When I used to swim, each day after swimming my brother and I would have a moist huge muffin! These like the perfect way to remember those =D.
I’m always amazed that a little coconut flour can go a long way. I have been baking a lot, too, and what doesn’t get sent to work with my husband has been wrapped up in the freezer for later on.
We’ve been making lots of soup, too, since it got colder. There isn’t frost anywhere in Dallas, though, and my little herb garden is still going strong. I actually need to make some more pesto.
AWESOME!! Perfect use of zucchini leftovers, for sure.
P.S. – so glad that the class went well!
I’m sure these are delicious. I love zucchini breads and muffins, and always like a chocolate influence. It’s such a very nice variation. ;-)
Shirley
These look yummy! I am planning on roasting a pumpkin tomorrow and making your archived pumpkin pie muffins. Thanks for all the new posts!
If I only have a regular muffin pan (not a mini muffin one) does the cooking time change? I rarely bake so I’m not interested in purchasing a mini muffin pan. These look incredible!
I’ll have to try these. They look delicious.
These sound delicious. I haven’t ventured into coconut flour yet but these look like the perfect recipe to start!
This is terrific! I didn’t grow any this year, but zucchini has been on sale at the local German markets lately. I feel a baking marathon coming on…
I made loaves and loaves of your zucchini bread recipe with zucchini from my garden. My husband and daughter were eating them up quickly when left on the counter, so I stashed several loaves into the freezer to bring out for winter treats.
Since purchasing your cookbook and baking mostly with blanched almond flour, I decided to try your pizza crust. I’ve made it twice and each time my husband (non celiac) has raved about it being the best GF crust I have made. I’ve been using a variety of other recipes with blends of rice flour or bean flours for 7 years and he has been satisfied, but not ecstatic. Your recipe is so much easier than the others and delicious.
Has anyone tried this with almond flour? I just bought my first bag of almond flour and I really want to use it…I’m wondering if I can just switch the flours, but probably not, right? We’re new to this gf world! ;)
I logged on to the computer and was looking for something to make. I have coconut flour AND leftover zucchini. yay. :)
I ended up with way too much zucchini from the farmers market a few weeks back, and so shredded and froze it. This is one perfect recipe I could whip up with that zucchini at a moment’s notice. Yum!
I’ve always thought coconut flour was trickier than other flours, so I bet working with almond or another flour would be easier, but that’s just a guess. I may try these with buckwheat flour since I prefer it.
Wish buckwheat flour was gluten-free…we are gluten-free for my kids so can’t use it.
buckwheat flour is safe to eat for those of us who need to be gluten free. Just make sure it’s certified gluten free. Bob’s Red Mill makes a gluten free buckwheat flour. The name buckwheat is deceiving as it is not a wheat.
My neighbor came over with a big ‘ole zucchini….now i know what i am gonna do with it!! Tomorrows breakfast will entail chocolate! Thanks for the recipe, perfect timing!
I was out of bread so I decided to make (and currently baking as I type this message) a savory & egg free (I used 1 tbsp flaxmeal + 3 tbsp water and 3 tbsp unsweetened applesauce) version of your recipe. I omitted the agave and the cinnamon & used 1/2 tsp each lemon thyme & basil.
I guess adding shredded cheese to make it extra savory wouldn’t be a bad idea…
Hi Elena,
Thanks for this recipe — I am going to make it today.
We are finally getting some cool weather in Florida. It is funny — your vegie garden is finished and we are just starting ours.
Thanks again for all your hard work.
Theresa Watson
Merritt Island, Florida
What timing! This could not come at a better time. We’ve received an abundance of zucchini this year with our CSA. I’ve shredded them and frozen them in two and four cup servings to use later. Now is the later and I’m so excited to use this recipe.
How may I obtain your cookbook and have you sign it? Will you be coming to Santa Barbara any time soon?
Mmmm…Cooler weather is enticing me to bake something and this looks like the recipe to start with. I love using coconut flour. Thanks Elana
Yeah, a recipe I have all the ingredients for! I love zucchini bread so I am going to try this for my family today. Exciting! Thanks!
elana, i used agave for the first time and the muffins were delish but they were very, very moist. i also use whole wh pastry flour bc we dont have any allergies here. do baked items with agave come out mushier? maybe using this flour messed it up a little…if u or anyone else can answer will appreciate the feedback.
I’ve made these a few times already, using the ingredients in the recipe, and they always come out perfectly.
will definitely try this, thank you!
I have heard so many people in my area complain that their harvest this year was small because we had an incredibly cold summer. That didn’t happen at our family garden. My father had a wonderful crop this year and I froze a ton of zucchini. I can’t wait to give your recipe a try. Love your site!
I’ve been waiting for another coconut flour recipe, thank you. Anything with chocolate chips gets my vote and my son will eat zuc if it is chopped up and baked in sweet yummy clouds of flour and sweetener!
Enter me, I like tea.
Love the kale recipes! My favorite way to prepare kale is to braise it in a skillet with a bit of olive oil and then lightly season with garlic parsley salt. You can feel your hemoglobin increasing with every bite!
hello, i made these and they tasted good, but didn’t look so good… really moist and mushy…should i add more flour?
love the flavor of coconut flour by the way
mine turned out the same…really mushy…I wonder if the flour has to be more?
We had the same problem tonight – the seemed undercooked but were not. I’m definitely making this recipe again and will add in an extra tablespoon of coconut flour and see how it goes.
I had the same issue. Andrada, below, suggests to squeeze out the water. I will try this next time. Have either of you tried this? If so, was it successful? Were any other modifications helpful?
I am going to make this tomorrow and surprise my kids. Thanks!
Fabulous muffins – we ate the whole batch in one sitting!
Hi Elana! I just made these and added a cup of extra flour because just 1/4 c. was real runny. Just wondering if that was a typo or not.
Thanks!
Bethany – I’m wondering if it is the flour you are using – when I first tried to make Elana’s blueberry muffins, I used the coconut flour I had on hand (something from our local natural grocery store) – it was terribly runny. I decided to buy coconut flour from Tropical Traditions and what a difference! These muffins turned out perfectly with the measurements that Elana provides – just thought I would give you my experience – good luck!
Interesting! We have the TT flour and the muffins were overly moist. I’m going to try them again soon with an extra tablespoon of flour.
I just made these. AMAZING!! I made some alterations: Instead of agave, I used half molasses and half honey. I also used olive oil in place of grape seed. The olive oil I use is special for baking and you cannot taste the olive flavor of regular evoo in it. Also left out the chocolate as I prefer that in your cookies, which I am also making today!! :D Thanks Elana!!
I made these last night and they turned out very well. I’m a little confused about your quantity, though, as it doesn’t say anywhere how many the recipe should make, just to use a mini-muffin pan (mine are 12 mini sized). I doubled the recipe and it made 12 full size muffins, which surprised me. Took about 45 minutes to bake and I had to cover so they didn’t get to brown. But they were really easy to make using leftover frozen shredded zucchini from the summer garden, and the taste and texture is very good. Thanks for the recipe!
So odd. The regular recipe made 12 mini-muffins for me!
I used Bob’s Red Mill coconut flour and these did turn out mushy. I’ve got them in a low oven to try to dry them out more. They do taste good.
well i tried to make these today, but among many, MANY other things, i am allergic to eggs. i tried egg replacer (ENER G) and it didn’t work AT ALL! they ended up turning into warm batter in cupcake cups. :( had to eat with a spoon. any thoughts? i pretty much can only eat squash, coconut, rice, oil, pears, figs and dark chocolate these days, so i was so incredibly happy to find this recipe. i hope you can help me make it work!
Can you have flaxseed? Try mixing 1 tbsp flaxseed meal with 3 tbsp warm water for each egg (so for this recipe use 2 tbsp flax and 6 tbsp warm water). Let it sit for a few minutes so it gets a goopy texture and use that in place of the eggs. I haven’t tried it with this recipe yet but that works in most muffin and bread recipes I’ve tried.
I would love to make these without the chocolate chips, but I’m concerned about the sweetness factor and that they might not be enjoyable. Any suggestions?
Kel,
I made them without chocolate chips, added 1/2 tsp vanilla/ batch & sprinkled with cinnamon when they were done. Very tasty and most everyone liked them!
I did not squeeze out the water :( thus they are a bit soggy, but I will do it next time for sure!
These are totally delicious! I made several batches as gifts. The first batch I used 1 tablespoon in each cup and they came out super flat. I went ahead and filled the next batches up 3/4′s of the each cup and baked for 45 minutes and they turned out way better for me. I love these, yum!
Doubled the recipe, used 1/3 cup honey, 2cups zucchini & they turned out great! It made 12 regular size muffins.
DON’t FORGET TO SQUEEZE THE WATER OUT OF THE ZUCCHINI. that is prob what made some people’s muffins mushy.
Andrada,
I failed to read the comments prior to baking & DID NOT squeeze out the water… slightly soggy muffins! oops! Thanks for the tip!
These are SOOO good! Me and the kids ate them all the same day. Plan on making more today :)
Absolutely wonderful, I love this recipe (as well as all the rest of your recipes)
Thank you so much. It’s just so great to eat “real” food again with all of my crazy allergies.
:)
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I added coconut flakes in mine since the coconut flour and they also resembled the look of the shredded zucchini! Fun!
I made these this morning. Instead of the 1/4 cup grapeseed oil, I used 1/4 cup coconut oil-solid, and instead of the 1/4 cup agave nectar I used 1/4 Xylitol. For the zucchini, I grated it on the smaller grater and squeezed all the water out like another person suggested. It came to a little more than 1/2 cup–packed firmly due to the water squeezing. (I used the whole zucchini)
THEY WERE AMAZING!!!! Thank you for the recipe!
**1/4 c xylitol
THE ACCIDENTAL RECIPE! Went to make a batch of these this morning and after I had already put a few things into the bowls I realized I didn’t have any zuchhini! after some thought about what to do, I decided to grate up a large apple and use that instead….ended up with some delicious apple-cinnamon muffins :) Made 6 regular sized muffins cooking @350 for about 30 mins (but start @ 25 cause I have a crappy oven and have to cook most of these recipes a little longer) I also halved the agave and added 10 -12 drops of stevia, but I would have done that anyway.
So sorry to say that while these muffins looked delicious, they didn’t taste so good. I did use cacao instead of the choc chips, so this could have altered the taste……but yeah, we weren’t fans. Thanks so much for posting so many recipes though. I’ve made your banana bread to great reviews :)
I just made a double batch of these for breakfast & used coconut oil instead of grapeseed, rapadura instead of agave, & half the chocolate chips. They sure hit the spot! Thanks for sharing this recipe!
I made this into a cake by doubling it. It worked great :)
From the rave review I posted on facebook!
Holy Smokes Batman! This is my far the most delicious recipe I have made. EVER. No, seriously.. EVER. Guess what, they’re also Paleo/Primal, aka gluten, sugar, dairy free! Oh, and they have vegetables!
I used melted butter instead of grapeseed oil and raw organic honey instead of agave (which agave isn’t actually good for you anyway, in some places I’ve heard worse than HFCS!) and Enjoy Life chocolate chips (gluten, soy, dairy free) Super chocolately, you could almost use less chocolate. Wait, what am I saying?! No such thing as too much chocolate! ;)
Try not to eat all of these within 5 min of baking them, I dare you. I was taking them out of the pans to cool, and half of them were gone before they even hit the rack, no joke!
Grabbed this off of FB. Thanks for posting it there. I’m making a batch right now. :)
I made the recipe from your cookbook which is very similar. I decided to experiment with Stevia like your paleo pumpkin bread. I just cut the agave in half and used 1/4 tsp of Stevia – came out great!
My only issue is that I don’t think I squeezed enough water out of the Zucchini, when I took the muffins out of the tin, there was a little bit of liquid. Once I dried them off, they were so delicious I brought them to work so I wouldn’t eat them all!
I don’t know what I’d do without your cookbooks! I hope you consider writing a paleo cookbook someday, hint hint :)
Love the recipe! My husband and I just ate half of the batch! I added extra shredded coconut and a 1/2 cup more on the coconut flour because the batter was mushy. I read the comments after and will next time try to squeeze the water out of the zucchini. Honey works well is this recipe, but will try to use stevia next time. The choc chips make it divine!
I love love love this recipe. Just tried it. So good.
I made these muffins tonight and although the flavor is good the consistancy was almost wet. I tried cooking them longer but that did not help. If anyone has any suggestions as to what I may have done wrong I would love to hear them. Thanks!