
As we head back to school here in Australia, I share with you recipe 5 of the Summer Recipe Series: Self-loving treats for a sweet tooth… Chocolate Zucchini Muffins.
If you saw last week’s recipe Sweet Potato Brownies, you’ll start to have realised, I love sneaking vegetables into almost ALL of my son’s snack foods for school, and this recipe has been a HUGE hit!
Even though Zen will pick zucchini out of almost any plate I serve, he loves zucchinis inside these Chocolate Zucchini Muffins.
These bite size snacks are moist and delicious and sure to please almost any child and adult alike.
Plus they’re super easy to make.
INGREDIENTS
- 1 cup Spelt Flour
- 1/2 cup Rye Flour
- 1/2 cup Raw Cacao
- 1 tsp Baking Powder
- 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
- 1/2 tsp Celtic Sea Salt
- 1/2 cup Olive Oil
- 1/2 cup Milk (Oat, almond and coconut work well)
- 2 large Eggs
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1/3 cup Coconut Palm Sugar
- 1 1/2 cups grated Zucchini
For an extra special treat, add 1/2 cup Choc Chips.
METHOD
- Preheat oven to 175 degrees celsius.
- Grate the zucchini and let it sit.
- Add all the flour, cacao, baking power, baking soda and salt to a mixing bowl. Stir well.
- In a seperate bowl, whisk together the oil, milk, eggs, vanilla and sugar until well combined.
- Squeeze the juice out of the zucchini so it’s less wet (I do this with my hands, but you could also put the zucchini on a fine mesh strainer and use a spoon to press out the juice) and stir into the bowl of wet ingredients.
- Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture and stir with a spoon until the ingredients are just combined. Be sure not to over mix the batter.
- (If you’re adding choc chips, fold in now.)
- Scoop the mixture into a muffin tray.*
- Bake for 18-22 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the centre of the muffin comes out clean.
- Cool for 5-minutes, then pop out of the muffin tray and enjoy hot, leave to cool and eat fresh, or place in the freezer, so you can enjoy them when suits.
*I like to use a silicon tray so I don’t need to use anything to stop the muffins from sticking, and am not at risk of the toxins found in non-stick trays.
PDF download of the Chocolate Zucchini Muffins recipe available inside the Remarkable Relationships course for those of you who have enrolled previously (and any new participants).
Along with a whole BONUS section of self-loving recipes to explore.
WHY I LOVE THESE INGREDIENTS…
You’ll notice that I use more natural, healthy, eco-friendly ingredients in place of refined products commonly used in baking. Here’s why…
Spelt Flour
An ancient cousin to wheat, Spelt Flour is less refined, with more fibres and less gluten (although not gluten free), making it easier for the body to digest. It has a mild and sweet flavour, and is my favourite to bake with, as I feel it’s a very easy substitute for most wheat flour recipes, and adds a depth to bread, cookies and muffins, while retaining more of the grain’s natural nutrients and fibre.
Containing lower levels of phytic acid compared to regular wheat, it comes in ‘white spelt’ and ‘whole spelt’ depending on whether you want a lighter fluffier texture or a more grainy wholesome experience. According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, Spelt is mildly warming, with a generally higher nutritional value than it’s relative, wheat. Spelt Flour is often grown using more traditional agricultural practices, which can be more sustainable compared to conventional wheat farming.
Rye Flour
This is a dark grain that tastes delicious. Although, because it’s not very elastic and can be difficult to knead, it’s best to mix this flour with something lighter, and/or save it to breads, pancakes, cookies and crisp breads. The main benefits of Rye Flour over other flours is its higher fibre content (the fibre in Rye acts as a prebiotic, feeding beneficial gut bacteria), lower glycemic index, richer nutritional profile and unique flavour. It promotes better satiety and gut health – while it contains gluten, it has less than wheat – offers potential cardiovascular benefits, and is a sustainable crop choice.
Raw Cacao
This is a high quality superfood, rich in magnesium, calcium, iron, zinc, potassium and antioxidants has a rich, intense flavour, making it perfect for gourmet and health-conscious recipes. People often use cocoa to add the chocolate flavour to their foods – which also comes from the cacao bean – but due to the way cocoa is processed (with heat), makes it less nutritional. So where possible choose Raw Cacao over cocoa, so you can enjoy the cacao in its most pure form.
From a mental health perspective, we love Raw Cacao as it boosts serotonin and endorphins – known as the ‘bliss chemicals’ – so we feel less stressed and more at ease. It contains theobromine, a mild stimulant similar to caffeine, but Raw Cacao has a higher concentration, thus providing us with a gentle energy boost and improvement to our mental clarity, without the jittery side-effects of caffeine. Not only that, the flavonoids in Raw Cacao improve blood flow to the brain, helping our brain function better while protecting against neurodegenerative diseases.
Celtic Sea Salt
Celtic Sea Salt is a more natural, less processed alternative to refined table salt, offering a broader range of trace minerals. Yes, it contains over 80 essential minerals, including magnesium, potassium, calcium, iron and zinc. Because of its mineral profile, Celtic Sea Salt supports electrolyte balance and hydration, helping the body absorb and retain water more efficiently, and supports the adrenal glands, which are responsible for managing the body’s stress response and regulating hormones. It can also help with the absorption of nutrients.
Celtic Sea Salt is harvested through natural evaporation of seawater and is often hand-raked, with no additives or bleaching agents, hence its greyish colour. This is in contrast with refined table salt which undergoes heavy processing, including bleaching and the addition of anti-caking agents like calcium silicate and sodium ferrocyanide. What about taste? I love it! It has a more complex, nuanced flavour, with a subtler, richer saltiness; hence why it makes food taste so delicious! This is your more wholesome and eco-friendly salt option.
Olive Oil
Olive oil, especially extra virgin Olive Oil, is packed with heart-healthy monounsaturated fats, antioxidants, and anti-inflammatory compounds. There are so many health benefits, from improved brain function and better blood sugar control to potential cancer-fighting properties and reduced risk of heart disease. Best used raw or heated at low temperatures Olive Oil is another versatile oil in the kitchen that supports digestive health and provides skin and heart benefits when used topically, making it a superior choice over many other oils.
Coconut Palm Sugar
Coconut Palm Sugar is often seen as a healthier alternative to refined sugar due to its lower glycemic index, retention of nutrients (minerals and antioxidants), insulin content and reduced fructose. I also find it one of the easiest natural sugars to substitute into recipes that call for refined sugar, without drastically altering the flavour or texture of what you cook. In fact, with its rich, caramel-like flavour, it usually enhances the flavour of recipes.
Coconut Palms are a more sustainable crop compared to sugarcane. They require less water, land, and energy to produce, with the trees able to grow multiple products (coconuts, oil, sugar, etc), making them a more efficient, environmentally friendly crop. What I will say, is that while this sugar is delicious with a capital D, remember: All sweets in moderation!
2 Comments on “Chocolate Zucchini Muffins: Summer Recipe Series”
Love your recipe this week thank you Tamra
Brilliant! So happy to hear this one hit the spot x