Description
Chocolate zucchini cookies blend garden-fresh veggies with rich cocoa for an irresistible treat. Moist, indulgent morsels promise a delightful balance of wholesome zucchini and deep chocolate flavor that will charm dessert enthusiasts.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients:
- 1 ½ cups (190 g / 6.7 ounces) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup shredded zucchini (squeezed to remove excess moisture)
- ¾ cup (130 g / 4.6 ounces) semi-sweet chocolate chips
- ½ cup (30 g / 1.1 ounces) unsweetened cocoa powder
Sweeteners and Binding Ingredients:
- ½ cup (100 g / 3.5 ounces) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (110 g / 3.9 ounces) brown sugar, packed
- ½ cup (115 g / 4 ounces) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Additional Components:
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Optional Garnish:
- Additional chocolate chips
- Powdered sugar
Instructions
- Prepare the baking environment by heating the oven to 350F (175C) and lining baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.
- Create a creamy base by whipping softened butter with granulated and brown sugars until the mixture becomes light and airy, approximately 2-3 minutes.
- Incorporate the liquid components by thoroughly blending the egg and vanilla extract into the butter-sugar mixture.
- Develop the dry foundation by whisking flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a separate bowl.
- Merge the wet and dry ingredients, stirring gently until just combined, taking care not to overmix the dough.
- Introduce shredded zucchini and chocolate chips, folding them evenly throughout the mixture to ensure uniform distribution.
- Form cookie portions by dropping rounded tablespoon-sized dollops onto the prepared baking sheets, maintaining approximately 2 inches of space between each cookie.
- Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes, watching for set edges and slightly soft centers as indicators of perfect doneness.
- Allow cookies to rest on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, which helps them stabilize and prevents breaking.
- Transfer cookies to a wire cooling rack, completing the cooling process and allowing them to reach optimal texture.
- Optional enhancement involves pressing additional chocolate chips onto warm cookies and potentially dusting with a light layer of powdered sugar for visual appeal.
Notes
- Squeeze excess moisture from zucchini using a clean kitchen towel to prevent soggy cookies and ensure a perfect texture.
- Replace butter with coconut oil for a dairy-free version that maintains rich, moist consistency.
- Use gluten-free flour blend as a simple swap to make these cookies celiac-friendly without compromising taste.
- Reduce sugar content by 25% and add extra vanilla extract to maintain sweetness while cutting calories.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Category: Snacks, Desserts
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 24
- Calories: 150
- Sugar: 12 g
- Sodium: 90 mg
- Fat: 7 g
- Saturated Fat: 4 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 21 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Cholesterol: 30 mg