Spicy chocolate zucchini muffins

These chocolate muffins feature zucchini and blackberries for some extra moisture (and yet another way to use up a zucchini if you find yourself with a bumper crop) and chocolate because…chocolate. With one bowl and about forty minutes, you can have a super muffin for breakfast, snack, or dessert.

Take me to the muffins!

These muffins are really incredibly easy. No need to drain the zucchini or use separate bowls for the mixing. They can easily be made vegan by swapping in two flax eggs and some vegan chocolate chips. The batter is thick (almost like a brownie batter), but puffs up with a light, airy, and not-at-all dry crumb.

I added some cayenne for the slightest of kicks and some cinnamon or the slightest of warmth, but you can leave out BOTH and have a more straightforward chocolate muffin that is equally delicious.

**I use half white and half whole wheat flours, but feel free to use all white, all whole wheat, or all gluten free 1-to-1 flour instead.

This batch only made 11 muffins because Sticky Fingers here kept munching on the blackberries and chocolate chips I'd measured out. All of my other batches made an even dozen.

Spicy chocolate zucchini muffins

2 cups shredded zucchini (from one medium zucchini)
2 eggs
1 cup sugar (granulated, cane, and coconut work well)
½ cup oil (canola, coconut, olive, and avocado all work fine)
2 tsp vanilla extract
¾ cup white flour*
¾ whole wheat flour*
3 Tbsp cocoa powder
½ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp cayenne or chili powder
½ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp salt
3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chunks
1 small container fresh blackberries, or 1 cup frozen berries (not defrosted)

Preheat the oven to 350.

Combine the shredded zucchini with eggs, sugar, oil, and vanilla. Mix well. Add the flours, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, cayenne, cinnamon, and salt, and stir until just combined. Fold in the chocolate chunks (if using) and the blackberries.

Line or spray cupcake tins with oil. Fill each opening ¾ full and bake for 23-25 minutes until a cake tester comes out clean.

Yield: 12 muffins