Chocolate for breakfast?
YES, PLEASE.
Today we’re making tender, moist, whole grain double dark chocolate muffins packed with a little veggie-love and added moisture from shredded zucchini, loaded with chocolate chips in every bite, topped with a big ol’ swirl of peanut butter, and baked until domed and fluffy.
I mean….do I need to even say anything else here?
Lets make them!
First, we shred a zucchini and squeeze out as much liquid as possible so our muffins don’t get too wet; no one likes a soggy bottom, so don’t skip this step!!
Then, we whisk together our super simple (chocolate loaded!!) muffin batter and divide it into a baking pan.
Here’s the fun part: each muffin gets a generous spoonful of peanut butter swirled into the batter, then they each bake up with a golden crown of peanut butter on top, just waiting for you to dive in.
Seriously, it doesn’t get much better, or much simpler, than these chocolate peanut butter muffins. I’ve been loving them as a mid-morning snack with an iced latte, and I bet they’d be extra special as an after school snack or brought to an afternoon date with a friend.
Love muffins? Me too.
Check out my WHOLE WHEAT ZUCCHINI CHOCOLATE CHIP MUFFINS / MAPLE CORNBREAD MUFFINS / GLUTEN FREE DOUBLE CHOCOLATE ESPRESSO MUFFINS / WHOLE WHEAT CRANBERRY ORANGE MUFFINS / WHOLE WHEAT BLUEBERRY MUFFINS / MINI APPLE CIDER DONUT MUFFINS / OATMEAL GREEN SMOOTHIE MUFFINS (MADE IN A BLENDER!) / and BANANA GINGERBREAD CRUNCH MUFFINS [GF + VEGAN].
If you’re a chocolate-peanut butter lover, I think you’re going to FREAK over these muffins. Try them out and let me know what you think by leaving a comment below, or taking a picture of your swirly muffins and tagging me on Instagram so I can see!
Peanut Butter Swirled Double Chocolate Zucchini Muffins
Time: 45 minutes
Yields: 10 muffins
Ingredients:
- 1 small-medium zucchini (to yield 1 cup, shredded)
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup milk of choice (I used unsweetened almond)
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 1/3 cup maple syrup
- 1 cup white whole wheat flour (can sub all-purpose, spelt, etc)
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/3 cup dark chocolate chips
- 10 Tablespoons peanut butter, reserved for topping
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a 12-hole muffin pan with 10 paper liners or grease 10 of the muffin holes with nonstick spray.
- Shred zucchini on a box grater, measuring out 1 cup of tightly packed zucchini. Scoop up the shredded zucchini with your hands and squeeze it over the sink to get out as much moisture as possible. Set aside in a small bowl for later.
- Whisk together the egg, milk, olive oil, and maple syrup in a large bowl. Add all remaining ingredients, including squeezed zucchini and chocolate chips, and stir well to combine.
- Scoop batter into prepared muffin pan using a 1/4 cup measuring cup to evenly portion the batter among the 10 muffins.
- Place 1 Tablespoon of peanut butter on top of each unbaked muffin, and use a butter knife to gently swirl it into the top layer of the batter.
- Bake for 20-22 minutes, or until muffins are puffed and cooked through. Let cool for 5 minutes in muffin pan, then remove and let cool completely on a cooling rack before storing in an airtight container at room temperature. Muffins keep for 3 days at room temp, and can be frozen for up to a month.
MAKE THEM GLUTEN-FREE: use an all-purpose gluten free flour blend in place of the whole wheat, or try using oat flour for a slightly more dense whole grain muffin.
MAKE THEM VEGAN: swap out the egg for a flax egg (1 T ground flax + 3 T water).
SWITCH IT UP: try using shredded carrots or sweet potato (no need to squeeze) in place of the zucchini, or swap another nut or seed butter for the topping (such as almond butter, sunbutter, tahini, etc).