Unique Chocolate Courgette Muffins

4 minutes

Don’t close the page! Because I know what you’re thinking… “chocolate and courgette in a muffin? No thanks!”. But trust me, these uniquely delicious Chocolate Courgette Muffins will blow your mind.

These work so well because the chocolate remains the dominant flavour, but the high-water content of courgettes gives you moist muffins while also helping with the overall texture.

So, before you turn your nose up at something a little weird, try them out first…

How to Make Chocolate Courgette Muffins

Step 1: As with many baking recipes, preparation is the most important step.

So, preheat your oven to 190°C (375°F) or 160°C (325°F) for fan/convection, and then line a muffin tin with your favourite paper liners. You could also use a cupcake tin but you’ll need to reduce the cooking time.

Step 2: Mix together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. You can sift the flour if you can be faffed, but I tend to skip this step (and I’m not the only one).

Step 3: In a separate bowl, beat together the eggs, sugars, oil and vanilla until it is fully combined into one liquid. You can then fold in your shredded courgette until melt combined. You want an even distribution of courgette.

Step 4: Slowly add the dry flour mix into the liquid-courgette mix folding the mixture in as you go. You don’t want to overwork the mix.

Once combined, fold in your chocolate chips until they are evenly mixed through the batter.

Step 5: Pop the batter into the muffin cups. You only want to fill them up around 2/3 as they will rise a little. Pop the tray into the oven and bake for around 20 to 25 minutes.

Check them after 20 minutes by inserted a skewer or toothpick into the centre – if it comes out clean, they’re cooked! If it comes out wet, check a few other muffins as you may have coincidentally gone through a melted chocolate chip.

Step 6: Finally, let them cool in the tin for around 5 minutes before moving them to a wire rack to cool fully.

Tweak

There are many ways to customise these chocolate courgette muffins. Here are a few things I’ve tried in the past:

1. Add Nuts or Seeds: Consider adding chopped walnuts, pecans, or even sunflower seeds for an added crunch. This will make the batter a little more dense.
2. Spices: A teaspoon of your favourite spices will instantly add flavour without impacting the texture. Cinnamon, nutmeg, mixed spice, ground ginger and even a tiny amount of dried chilli can work well.
3. Extra Chocolate: Use dark or white chocolate chips instead of regular ones to change the chocolate element.
4. Coffee: Add a teaspoon of instant espresso powder to enhance the depth of the chocolate flavour. You’ll find it won’t taste like strong coffee but will make the chocolate richer.

Remember, when adding additional ingredients, you may need to adjust the base recipe slightly to accommodate. Enjoy experimenting with these muffins!

Store

When it comes to storing these muffins, you have 3 options depending on how long you need to store them:

Cupboard: Let the muffins cool completely, then place them in a resealable bag or an airtight container. Keep the container in a cool, dry place in your cupboard. They should stay fresh for 2-3 days.

Refrigerate: Once fully cooled, pack the muffins into a container that seals tightly and store them in the fridge. This helps maintain their freshness and extends their shelf life to about one week.

Freezer: For longer storage, wrap each cooled muffin individually in cling wrap or aluminium foil, then place all the wrapped muffins in a freezer-friendly bag or container.

When properly stored, they can be enjoyed for up to 3 months.