Growing up my Mom always kept a bunch of bananas on the counter. When someone (me) would whine that we(me) were hungry, she would direct us to the bananas. “Have a banana.” Naturally, I did not want a banana. She would then reply that we were not really hungry. And she was right, usually I was just bored.
Its funny what follows us into adulthood, because now I too always have a bunch of bananas on the counter. They are gratefully grabbed when hurrying out the door, cut into bowls of cheerios and smothered in peanut butter for snacks. So I was quite surprised when I saw this weeks bunch rapidly turning brown. Knowing I would be the only person to eat banana bread, I pondered what else could be made.
Peering into our fridge, I saw some forgotten zucchini and an abundance of greek yogurt. Knowing if I made zucchini-banana bread I would still be the only one who ate it. my thoughts turned to breakfast. Cloaked in chocolate and disguised as muffins, there was a chance my husband would eat them. Plus, a muffin with my coffee in the morning sounded delicious.
These muffins, dense, rich ,and chocolatey hit just the spot. Perfectly moist, I enjoyed one solo fresh from the oven, no beverage required to wash it down. The next morning, it was an excellent compliment to my morning coffee.
I was disappointed that they did not form the desired “muffin top” but I’ll chock that up to the greek yogurt. Or because I am not 100% sure what I’m doing. Either way, I loved these, and my husband did not even consider that zucchini could be hiding inside.
If you have some bananas wilting away, or feel the desire to hide vegetables in baked goods, these are for you!
Chocolate Zucchini Banana Muffins
Rich chocolate muffins with zucchini and bananas, excellent for breakfast or a snack.
Inspired by Fork Knife Swoon
Ingredients
-1/3 cup All Purpose Flour
-2/3 cup granulated sugar
-1/2 cup cocoa powder
-3/4 teaspoon baking soda
-1/2 teaspoon salt
-3/4 cup greek yogurt (I used 0% fat vanilla)
-1 large zucchini, peeled and grated
-1 very ripe banana
-1 egg
-1/3 cup butter, melted
-1/2 cup whole milk
-1 cup chocolate chips (I bet walnuts or dried cranberries would be tasty, or cinnamon chips, or peanut butter chips! Or whatever you have hiding in your pantry).
Directions
- Pre-heat your oven to 375° F. Line muffin tin with cupcake liners, or grease using softened butter/Baker’s Joy/whatever you like to grease pans with. I used cupcake liners, and then butter when I ran out of cupcake liners.
- In one bowl combine flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. Mix until all ingredients are completely combined. You could sift them together, but I did not.
- In a large separate bowl mash the banana. To the same bowl, add the shredded zucchini, greek yogurt, egg, and melted butter. Mix to combine. Add the dry ingredients to the wet in two or three large increments, mixing just until all of the dry ingredients are incorporated, being sure to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl. The batter will be thick.
- Once mixed, scoop batter into muffin tins, filling until they are just about to overflow. Bake muffins for 20 minutes, if you press your finger to the top of a muffin it should feel firm, not gooey.
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From Prosecco to Peaches 