Foodie Friday Recipe: Paleo Chocolate Zucchini Muffins

Looking for a way to use up some of your extra zucchini from the garden or farmer’s market? Try these rich, fudgy, gluten-free zucchini muffins – they’re living proof that chocolate can be good for you!

This summer, our zucchini is like the Energizer bunny…it just keeps going, and going, and going…. Once our colleagues and friends started giving us dirty looks when we tried to pawn off our extras, we had to start getting creative with things to do with summer squash.

Refrigerator pickles are one of our favorites, but our fridge can only hold so many. There is also a limit to the number of squash salads and sautee’s that we are willing to eat!

That’s where baked goods come in handy. Zucchini is like a moist flavor sponge, soaking up the flavors of whatever you cook it with, and giving off moisture to keep your breads, cakes, and muffins from ending up too dry.

This delicious recipe is rich enough for the most choc-oholic adult, and tasty enough to get your kids to eat more vegetables without even realizing it! These tasty chocolate zucchini muffins contain protein, fiber, and plenty of other healthy and nutritious ingredients.

They are entirely flourless as well, so if you’re gluten-free, you can still enjoy these baked treats!

Flourless Chocolate Zucchini Muffins

Yield: 12 muffins
Active Time: 8 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

1/2 cup almond butter
1 ripe medium-sized banana
1 large egg
1/4 cup raw honey
1/4 cup raw cacao powder
2 tablespoons chia seeds
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 cup shredded zucchini, squeezed of excess liquid
Scant 1 cup dark chocolate chips, plus more for sprinkling on top

Instructions:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees and line a muffin pan with baking cups.
• Add almond butter, banana, egg, honey, cacao powder, chia seeds, vanilla extract, baking soda, and salt to a blender and blend on high until batter is smooth and creamy. Transfer to a medium-sized bowl and stir in shredded zucchini and chocolate chips.
• Divide batter between muffin cups, filling each about 3/4 full. Sprinkle tops with additional chocolate chips, if desired. Bake 20 minutes until muffins are set. Allow to cool in pan. Store in an airtight container. (Tip: They’re even more fudgy and flavorful the next day!)

Recipe Source: Thrive Market

Photo Credit: Paul Delmont at ThriveMarket.com.