Decadent Double Chocolate Zucchini Muffins with Buttermilk
These delightful Double Chocolate Zucchini Muffins with Buttermilk are a great way to fresh or frozen shredded zucchini. Moist and fluffy with just-right sweetness, these muffins are cakelike in texture thanks to the addition of buttermilk. No buttermilk on hand? No problem! You can easily make your own – see the note below.
Equipment
- 2 Regular 12 cup muffin tins
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup cooking oil
- 2 cups finely shredded zucchini fresh or frozen and thawed (see note)
- 1 egg
- 1 cup buttermilk see note
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup semisweet or dark chocolate chips
Instructions
- Heat oven to 375°. Grease or line with paper liners 2 standard muffin tins and set aside.
- In a medium mixing bowl, cream together the two sugars, the egg, and the oil. Stir in the buttermilk* and shredded zucchini.
- In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until well combined.
- Add the flour mixture to the sugar mixture and gently stir just until the dry and wet ingredients are combined. Be careful not to overmix, as that can result in tough muffins. Gently fold in the semisweet chocolate chips.
- Divide the batter evenly between the 24 muffin cups (using an oiled ¼ cup measuring cup per muffin is just about perfect). Bake for 18-22 minutes until an inserted toothpick comes out clean or the top of the muffin springs back when lightly pressed.
- Let the muffins cool in their tins for about 10 minutes, and then take them out and serve immediately or allow them to finish cooling on a rack.
- Double Chocolate Zucchini Muffins can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 24 hours, refrigerated for up to three days, or frozen for up to 3 months. If the muffins have been frozen, allow them to thaw at room temperature for a couple of hours before serving, or warm them from frozen in the microwave for about 20 seconds, depending on the wattage of your microwave. Overheated muffins get really tough, so go easy on the reheating time! Enjoy!
Notes
1. I’ve made this recipe many times with both fresh and frozen zucchini. This recipe works perfectly with freshly grated zucchini. Ideally, just-grated zucchini that is going to be frozen should sit for a while and be well-drained before being frozen, but if you find that your thawed zucchini is really watery, you will need to drain the extra liquid if you don’t want your batter to be too wet. Though, if you want to know a secret, I have made these muffins with “watery” thawed zucchini, and though the batter was wetter, like a cake batter instead of muffin batter, the resulting muffins were like cupcakes in texture and very delicious.
2. To make your own buttermilk, add 1 tablespoon of vinegar (I like to use raw cider vinegar, but white vinegar will also work) to a one-cup measuring cup. Top with milk to the one-cup mark. Let it set for a few minutes, and you’re all set!