Chocolate-Zucchini Muffins
These cacao-filled muffins contain an extra serving of nutrient-dense veggies.
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While your typical muffin might be sweet with little nutritional value, these Chocolate-Zucchini Muffins are different. Sure, they’re rich in chocolate – or cacao powder, which imparts that chocolatey flavor – but they also contain a serving of veggies in every bite thanks to the shredded zucchini. It’s like a loaf of zucchini bread combined with a classic muffin, but lower in carbs and richer in nutrients.
Full of vitamins, minerals, and more
At the heart of these muffins is almond flour, which imparts a wealth of vitamins and minerals into the batter (and each serving). Lower in carbs than traditional wheat flour, with a somewhat sweeter taste, almond flour features a number of great nutrients. It includes monounsaturated fat, protein, fiber, and minerals like manganese, magnesium, and copper. But it’s particularly rich in vitamin E, providing you with a big dose of antioxidants.
Speaking of antioxidants, cacao powder is similarly rich in these free radical fighting compounds. Packed full of flavonoids, cacao powder has the potential to fight inflammation, improve heart health, and help your brain age well.
And that chocolatey cacao isn’t the only nutrient-rich ingredient in these muffins. The zucchini adds even more fiber, while the collagen peptides provide an extra boost of protein. Together, these two particular nutrients make these Chocolate-Zucchini Muffins extra-hunger-satisfying whether you’re enjoying them as a snack or meal.
For more nutrient-rich muffin recipes, try:
Chocolate-Zucchini Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 cup finely shredded zucchini
- 1½ cups almond flour
- ¾ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¾ tsp cinnamon
- 5 tbsp collagen peptides
- 3 eggs
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup maple syrup
- 4 tbsp cacao powder
Preparation
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease or line 8 cups of a muffin tin. Set aside.
- Place the shredded zucchini onto a clean kitchen towel. Gather up the sides and squeeze out as much moisture as possible. Set aside.
- Whisk together the almond flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and collagen. Add the eggs, vanilla and maple syrup. Mix together.
- Place ⅓ cup of the batter in another bowl and whisk in the cacao.
- Fold the shredded zucchini into the plain batter. Divide the zucchini batter between the 8 muffin cups. Place a dollop of the cacao batter on top of each and use a knife to swirl the cacao batter into the zucchini batter.
- Bake for 22 minutes, until the center springs back. Remove and let cool 30 minutes before removing from the pan.
Nutrition Information
- Serving Size ¼ of recipe (2 muffins)
- Calories 438
- Carbohydrate Content 31 g
- Cholesterol Content 140 mg
- Fat Content 27 g
- Fiber Content 7 g
- Protein Content 22 g
- Saturated Fat Content 4 g
- Sodium Content 436 mg
- Sugar Content 19 g