After spending one year at a daycare where meals were less than ideal, my open-minded 4 year old became my pickiest eater. If it was up to her, she’d live off of chocolate and candy and if you know me, the fact that she feels that way drives me crazy.
So when Jon and I decided to take our first mini getaway as a family of 5, I decided to pack some homemade goods that would appeal to both my older girls while also appealing to my desire to increase their veggie intake.
If you go through my previous blogs you will notice most recipes incorporate zucchini in some way. Zucchini contains multiple nutrients and offers several health benefits. It can be shredded and added to breads, muffins or brownies without changing the flavour of the dish. Due to its high water content, zucchini adds moistness to baked goods, making them incredibly soft.
In the spirit of celebrating the end of their camp session and the start of a new school, I decided to bake chocolate zucchini muffins. Of course I knew the girls would be so excited when they woke up to chocolate muffins and what better way than to start a road trip?
Muffins made, breakfast served, vacay success!
These muffins were a great way of making sure the girls got some veggies while eating out for every meal.
If you are looking for an easy, healthy and delicious muffin recipe, these ones are definitely kid approved!
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Chocolate Zucchini Muffins:
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups Gluten Free Flour (I use Bob Red Mills All Purpose Flour)
1/3 cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
1 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 tsp Baking Powder
1/4 tsp Himalayan Sea Salt
1/3 cup Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk
1/4 cup Coconut oil, melted and cooled
1/3 cup Pure Maple Syrup
1 Egg
1 tsp Organic Vanilla Extract
2 Cups Shredded Zucchini
3/4 cups Dairy Free Chocolate Chips (I use Enjoy Life)
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin tin with paper or silicone liners or spray with a cooking spray
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
In a large bowl, stir together almond milk, coconut oil, maple syrup, egg and vanilla extract. Stir in the shredded zucchini until well combined.
Add the dry ingredients to the zucchini mixture and stir until just combined. Do not over mix. Stir in 1/2 cup of chocolate chips.
Divide batter evenly into prepared muffin cups. Sprinkle remaining chocolate chips over the tops of each muffin. Bake for 20-24 minutes of until a toothpick inserted in the centre of the muffin comes out mostly clean. Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes before serving.