Chocolate Honey Zucchini Muffins

This recipe caught my attention on one of those tear-off pads at Penzeys, stationed above the big bags of natural cocoa powder. Interesting combination. We already know chocolate-zucchini is a winning team, but sweetening it with honey rather than sugar made me curious.

And sure enough, these are delicious. Moist, fragrant, packed with hidden veggies and studded with chocolate chips - they are the perfect breakfast on the go, after school snack, or even healthy-ish dessert. And about the honey - you can taste a hint of it when they're warm from the oven, but the next day you wouldn't even know. Very cool. Very yummy.

Chocolate Honey Zucchini Muffins
2 cups flour
1/2 cup natural cocoa powder
2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
3/4 cup butter
2 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup honey
3 eggs
2 cups grated unpeeled zucchini (about 2 small)
8 oz. semisweet chocolate chips
1/3 cup raw sugar for topping, optional (I left this out)

1. Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour two 12-cup muffin pan or use paper liners.

2. In a large bowl, sift together flour, cocoa, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.

3. In a separate bowl, cream together butter and vanilla. Slowly add the honey in a fine stream while mixing. Add the eggs, one at a time, and mix well. Add the dry ingredients 1/3 at a time, beating well after each addition. Fold in zucchini and 2/3 of the chocolate chips by hand.

4. Pour the batter into the muffin cups evenly so they are 3/4 full. Sprinkle remaining chocolate chips and bake for 20 to 22 minutes until firm. (Optional: after 10 minutes in oven, sprinkle raw sugar on top of half-baked muffins.) Carefully remove from pans right away and cool on wire racks. Makes 22 to 24 muffins.

*Healthier version:  Use 1 cup all-purpose and 1 cup whole wheat flour.  Decrease butter to 1/4 cup and add 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce.  Increase zucchini to 2 1/2 cups and decrease chocolate chips to 6 ounces.  Add all the chocolate chips into the batter and don't add any to the tops.
Recipe from Penzeys