Chocolate-Zucchini Cakes with Walnuts (or Pecans)

This is the first of a couple good zucchini recipes I have coming down the pike. These little bite-size lovelies are my favorite kind of zucchini treat - chocolate and moist beyond description. Given my druthers, I take pecans over walnuts any day but have it your way. These are quick, simple, aromatic and great for packing in lunches! Brownies with veggies snuck in - what could be better?

Chocolate-Zucchini Cakes with Walnuts (or Pecans)

1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled

1 cup sugar

1/2 tsp coarse salt

1 large egg

1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

1 cup finely grated zucchini (from 1 medium zucchini)

3 T sour cream

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 cup (3 oz.) bittersweet chocolate, chopped, or chocolate chips

nonstick cooking spray

24 walnut or pecan halves

1. Preheat oven to 350. In a large bowl, stir together butter, sugar, salt, and egg until combined. Add vanilla, zucchini and sour cream and stir until incorporated. Sift flour and cocoa powder into bowl and stir until combined. Stir in chocolate.

2. Spray 24 mini muffin cups with cooking spray. Fill each cup with 2 T batter (medium cookie scoop) and top with a walnut or pecan half. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center of a muffin comes out clean, 15 to 17 minutes. Let muffins cool slightly in pans on wire racks before serving. (Store in an airtight container, up to 3 days.) Makes 24 mini cakes

Recipe from Everyday Food