Chocolate Chip Zucchini Muffins (31 cents each)

Got zucchini? Bake up these addicting Chocolate Chip Zucchini Muffins studded with nutrient-rich summer squash and sweet chocolate chips. You’ll have the perfect breakfast, snack, or dessert waiting for you.

Made with a homemade muffin mix, these zucchini muffins freeze beautifully, baked or unbaked, freeing you up to enjoy them whenever the mood strikes.

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Zucchini is often referred to as the vegetable you love to hate. Zucchini grows quickly; if you don’t pick it in time, you can easily end up with the largest zucchini in the world. And a lot of green summer squash to use up.

Thankfully, zucchini can be put to good use. The star in tasty dishes such as Baked Zucchini Fritters or Zoodles, it’s also a fantastic addition to baked goods, such as a tasty Chocolate Zucchini Cake or these luscious Chocolate Chip Zucchini Muffins.

Why Make This

It’s easy. With a homemade muffin mix you can make in multiple batches, these muffins come together quickly and easily at a moment’s notice.

It’s delicious. The combination of sweet chocolate chips with bittersweet zucchini is a winning combination in baked goods.

They’re freezer-friendly. You can freeze these Chocolate Chip Zucchini Muffins baked or unbaked, making for a very easy breakfast, snack, or dessert any time.

Ingredients

The ingredients needed for Chocolate Chip Zucchini Muffins are pretty basic baking ingredients, aside from the zucchini. Here’s what you’ll need:

homemade muffin mix – This muffin mix contains flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. You can mix up several batches of the mix to keep on hand in the pantry or freezer. There are lots of mix-in options in addition to zucchini.

milk – You can use any fat-content dairy or plant-based milk. If you use buttermilk, you can increase the amount to 1 ½ cups and omit the yogurt.

yogurt – Any yogurt will work. Plain yogurt is a versatile budget staple to keep on hand, but vanilla will work as well as certain flavored options.

neutral oil – By neutral, I mean one that doesn’t have a strong flavor like olive. I like to use avocado oil, but you can also use vegetable or canola oils or even melted butter if that is what you have.

eggs – You’ll need two eggs. If you prefer to go egg-free, you can use flaxseed meal as an egg substitute.

vanilla extract and nutmeg – While not absolutely necessary, the vanilla extract and nutmeg add nice flavor to the muffins. You can substitute another extract such as almond or maple if you prefer and swap the nutmeg for ginger or cinnamon.

shredded zucchini – Shredding the zucchini prior to mixing it in allows it to bake into the muffins without being overly vegetale.

chocolate chips – We tested these muffins with both white chocolate and dark chocolate, singly and together. The conclusion is that all are delicious. The white chocolate flavor is subtle, allowing you to focus more on the zucchini. Use whatever you like or consider other baking chips such as butterscotch or cinnamon.

Step-by-Step Instructions

This is a super simple recipe to mix up.

1. Prepare the wet ingredients.

In a large mixing bowl, assemble the milk, oil, yogurt, eggs, and vanilla extract. Whisk to combine.

2. Prepare the dry ingredients.

Place the muffin mix as well as the nutmeg in a second large mixing bowl. Whisk to combine. Add the zucchini and chocolate chips and toss to coat, reserving a few of each to top the muffins.

3. Prepare the batter.

Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture and fold gently to combine. It’s okay if there are a few dry bits here and there. Over-mixing will result in tough muffins.

4. Scoop out the muffins.

This recipe for Chocolate Chip Zucchini Muffins results in 12 to 18 muffins, depending on how full you want to fill the cups. Twelve muffins will be overflowing which is fine for baking, but a little unwieldy for freezing, so I like to make batches of 18.

Line 1 to 2 muffin pans with the desired number of paper liners. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Scoop out the batter accordingly, topping the muffins with a little shredded zucchini and a few chocolate chips.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes for smaller sized muffins, 25 to 30 for larger muffins.

Freezing instructions

To freeze muffins unbaked: Assemble the recipe as directed. Instead of baking, slide the pan into the freezer for several hours until the muffins are frozen solid. Remove the frozen muffin “pucks” from the pan and store them in an airtight container in the freezer. To bake, replace the frozen muffins into a muffin tin and bake, adding five minutes to the baking time if needed.

To freeze baked muffins: Bake the muffins according to the recipe and cool completely on the rack. Place in an airtight container or ziptop bag and store in the freezer, for up to 2 months.

FAQs

Recipe Costs

Knowing how much it costs you to prepare a recipe can help you decide if it’s the type of recipe to make regularly or one you might want to save for special occasions. Let’s crunch some numbers and see how this recipe pencils out.

• milk – $0.17
• yogurt – $0.60
• oil – $0.16
• eggs – $0.30
• vanilla extract – $0.25
• muffin mix – $0.92
• nutmeg – $0.05
• zucchini – $0.75
• chocolate chips – $0.50

Purchased at a mid-range grocery store at non-sale prices, the ingredients for this recipe cost $3.70/dozen or 31 cents each!

Compared to a bakery muffin, homemade is a surefire winner. But, you can save even more with the Good Cheap Eats System.

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This post was originally published on October 15, 2010. It has been updated for content and clarity. The original recipe called for a Streusel Topping. I’ve omitted it to allow the zucchini and chocolate to shine through.