Skinny Zucchini Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins (healthy, low-fat)
Zucchini Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins are healthy, moist and insanely delicious! Who wants one?!
Random Friday posts are good sometimes, right? They add a little jazz in between the food porn shots.
And so, here we go. I’m telling you 10 random things about me. There’s no rhyme or reason to it!
I thought I had this zucchini muffin recipe in the bag. Make my favorite zucchini bread batter, divide into muffin cups, bake for less time—nope. The increased surface area produced slightly dense and dry muffins, which were fine for “healthy” muffins. However, I wanted fluffy, moist and thoroughly delightful muffins that just-so-happened to be healthier.
So, I cross-referenced the zucchini bread recipe with my all-time favorite blueberry muffins in my cookbook. I adjusted the leavener, upped the amount of milk and switched to buttermilk for a more tender crumb. Success! These zucchini babes will make everyone happy.
Remember those zucchini brownies I made last week? Holy fudge those were delicious and kind of got me a wee bit obsessed with zucchini. I’m sure you have an abundance of zucchini that needs to be used up, too!
Anyway I thought that I might as well put them in muffins… you guys know how much I love muffins.
I wonder if the muffin man is hiring an assistant? Probs not.
Ingredients
Instructions
Random Friday posts are good sometimes, right? They add a little jazz in between the food porn shots.
And so, here we go. I’m telling you 10 random things about me. There’s no rhyme or reason to it!
I thought I had this zucchini muffin recipe in the bag. Make my favorite zucchini bread batter, divide into muffin cups, bake for less time—nope. The increased surface area produced slightly dense and dry muffins, which were fine for “healthy” muffins. However, I wanted fluffy, moist and thoroughly delightful muffins that just-so-happened to be healthier.
So, I cross-referenced the zucchini bread recipe with my all-time favorite blueberry muffins in my cookbook. I adjusted the leavener, upped the amount of milk and switched to buttermilk for a more tender crumb. Success! These zucchini babes will make everyone happy.
Remember those zucchini brownies I made last week? Holy fudge those were delicious and kind of got me a wee bit obsessed with zucchini. I’m sure you have an abundance of zucchini that needs to be used up, too!
Anyway I thought that I might as well put them in muffins… you guys know how much I love muffins.
I wonder if the muffin man is hiring an assistant? Probs not.
Ingredients
- 2 cups shredded, unpeeled zucchini — (about 1 small/medium zucchini)
- 1/2 cup mashed ripe banana — about 1 medium/large or 4 ounces
- 1/4 cup coconut oil — melted and cooled, very light olive oil, or canola oil
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/4 cup brown sugar — light or dark
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs — at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder — I recommend aluminum free
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 cups white whole wheat flour
- 1/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips — mini or regular (I used mini)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly grease a standard 12-cup muffin tin or line with paper liners.
- Grate the zucchini, then throughly squeeze it with a paper towel to remove as much excess water as possible. Repeat as needed. If you have not already, melt the coconut oil and let come to room temperature
- In the bowl of a standing mixer or a large mixing bowl, beat together the banana, honey, brown sugar, coconut oil, and vanilla extract until smooth. Add the eggs (make sure they are room temperature or the coconut oil may resolidify), then beat again until combined.
- Sprinkle the cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and salt over the top of the batter, then mix to combine. Sprinkle in the flour, then mix on low speed, just until the flour disappears. By hand, fold in the zucchini and chocolate chips.
- Scoop the batter into the prepared muffin cups, filling them 3/4 of the way. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove the muffins from the oven and place the pan on a wire rack. Let cool for 5 minutes in the pan, then carefully lift the muffins out of the pan and place them on a wire rack to cool completely (this will keep the muffins from becoming soggy).
