Calling all weight watchers and people who practice healthy lifestyle – these muffins might be exactly what you ever wanted from a dessert. It’s our favorite and hope you like it too.
Lets talk real deal healthy here. Not because all purpose flour is substituted with whole wheat , but because almost all ingredients going into making these gorgeous muffins have great health benefits.
A guilt free yummy dessert that you can devour any time of the day and the best part you don’t need any fancy equipments – no blender or stand mixer to put it together . All you need is a spoon or a spatula.
We all are aware that majority sweets and desserts are unhealthy indulgence . But we just can’t resist having them . Its fine to enjoy sweets once in a while but what if you are like me and have a sweet tooth. I just can’t curb my cravings so what do I do? Find healthier yet satisfying ways to satiate my sweet buds.
And my son is just like me who keeps asking for candies and cookies all the time . Can’t blame them they are kids after all. But I have to outsmart him right . Can’t keep feeding him unhealthy sugary stuff all the time. So I make healthy muffins and granola bars a lot. And these healthy chocolate zucchini muffins that I am sharing with you today are my best bet .
happy baby happy me!!
They are –
Healthy yet yummy
Super moist
Satisfying grab and go snack anytime
Hit amongst the kids
Perfect sweetness
Can be made vegan
Power packed with good stuff.
Needless to say I need to whip them up frequently as they are just loved by all of us .
I never forget to pack one for my husband too – it’s a great snack to satisfy evening hunger pangs.
If you have busy mornings , and have no time for breakfast just grab one of them . They will make you feel so good.
Why am I raving so much about these muffins?
Because they are real deal healthy.
These Chocolate zucchini muffins are packed with goodness of oats, wheat flour, almond butter, dates , pecans , flax seeds and olive oil.
Why on earth would anyone have greens in their desserts.. eeewww!!!!!
I hear you. But trust me you won’t even feel it’s there. They perfectly blend in plus it’s a good way to keep your muffins moist and have your greens at the same time.
Say bye bye to dry crumbly muffins and welcome these gorgeous moist ones.
My son is a fussy eater so I try to sneak in veggies in foods he can’t say no too .
Win win for both of us right.
So lets talk about ingredients and its benefits in brief here –
Zucchini
Zucchini has lot of water content and is low in calories.
If you are watching your weight then you need to add zucchini in your diet
It is full of vitamin c and will keep you hydrated
It is rich in vitamins and minerals and help maintaining blood sugar levels
If you think zucchini is boring and there are no takers for it just add them to pancakes, baked goods etc- it will make them extra moist and it’s a great way of having them too.
And yes your final outcome won’t taste zucchini.
Dates – the fabulous natural sweetener.
Adding dates means adding nutrition and sweetness without consuming refined sugar.
If you aren’t using dates yet ,I urge you to do so right away . It’s a delicious and healthy substitute to refined sugar in many preparations like smoothies, baked goods, sweets etc.
Dates are higher in potassium , yes much higher than potassium found in bananas
Dates are also rich in calcium , iron and many essential minerals.
Moreover dates are rich in fiber hence they keep you fuller for a long time.
Dates are packed with wonderful benefits
Some of them are –
This superfood has a low glycemic index and supports healthy blood sugar levels.
They successfully satisy your sweet cravings .
Dates aid weight loss because you can easily swap sugar in recipes
Lowers cholesterol
Great for eyes and skin health.
With so many benefits there isn’t a single reason not to add them in your diet .
Nuts and nut butter
Adding nuts to your daily diet is very important.
They come with truck load of benefits and most important one of them is that they are great energy boosters.
Dry muffins are a big turn off for me. Adding some fat is essential so whats better than adding nut butter.
I have swaped butter with nut butter because its healthy fats and works like a charm.
I have used almond butter .Feel free to use your favorite one.
As toppings I have used Pecans . Use nuts of your choice .
Oats
Oats is considered to be one of the world’s healthiest foods.
Oats is packed with dietary fiber and is such an energy booster.
Hence having oats for breakfast is a no brainer
It keeps you energized the entire day
Oats promotes weight loss and control blood sugar levels too
Oats is good for heart and overall health.
Make sure to add oats in some way or the other in your diet.
I have added oats here for health reasons as well as it makes the goods baked with wheat flour much lighter.
Flaxseed meal
Flaxseed is so good and so easy to incorporate in your diet
Flaxseed meal is nothing but grounded flaxseeds.
I love adding flaxseeds or its meal to about anything
From paratha dough , salads, soups , gravies , smoothies and baked goods etc
Flaxseeds are rich source of omega 3 essential fatty acids and fiber and low in carbs too.
It is also rich in phosphorus, magnesium and are high in anti oxidants too
Flaxseeds keeps you fuller for a long time, you won’t feel hungry hence aids weight loss
Consumption of flax does wonders for your skin and hair
Flax aids digestion as well
As it’s high in protein, it is an excellent substitute to eggs in most of the baked goods.
Honey
We all are familiar with the magical benefits of honey
I am mentioning few below-
It supplies essential vitamins and minerals
Honey is a fabulous substitute to refined sugar
It aids weight loss and boosts energy too
Good source of anti oxidants and immune booster
Always use the best quality honey . I use organic honey .
Honey can be replaced by maple syrup too.
There are so many benefits of all the above ingredients and i can go gaga on it all day long.
Yogurt
Gives moistness and softness to baked goods
Excellent source of calcium and necessary vitamins
Aids digestion etc.
Dark unsweetened Chocolate
chocolate and healthy .. oh yeah ..if eaten moderately dark chocolates have proven to be great for health .
some of the benefits of gorging on dark chocolate are-
relieves stress
lowers cholesterol
aids good sleep
enhances brain power etc.
In short YOU SHOULD DEFINITELY MAKE THEM
A boon to the WEIGHT WATCHERS & HEALTHY EATERS.
Always use best quality ingredients.
Now don’t get nervous with the list of ingredients – I know its a bit more than the regular ones but hey you are benefiting from it right .. so don’t think much just go for it.
Don’t expect them to have a airy fluffy texture of all purpose flour / maida cupcakes , they are denser like brownies much healthier and taste fabulous .
Please go though the notes too as i have mentioned possible substitutes too.
All you need is gather your precious healthy ingredients mix them together , bake and devour .
Simple !! isn’t it
So here it goes-
grated zucchini (thick )
Now add the zucchini
don’t forget to taste it
generously top it with your favorites
all set to bake
tadaaa!!! all done .. now dig in – I eat atleast 2 in one go
Mmmmm Delicious!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
before going to the recipe you might want to see this – make it ahead of time
Oats flour
Oat flour is nothing but grounded oats .
Just quick grind oats in your mixer / grinder until powdered.
I have used old fashion oats
For dates puree
Soak 8-10 pitted dates in hot water enough to soak them . Once softened (around 20 minutes) just puree them.
you can use ready made date paste too.
Shelf life
These do not last long at my place .
But if you want to store them then they stay well in the fridge for up to 4 days or freeze them individually in plastic wrap then foil for upto 3 months
Healthy chocolate zucchini muffins
Ingredients
- Dry ingredients
- 1 cup plus 2 tablespoon whole wheat flour
- ¼ cup oat flour *
- 3 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoon raw sugar * add if needed
- Wet ingredients
- 2 .5 tablespoon olive oil *
- ½ cup dates puree / 8-10 dates
- 3 tablespoon honey / maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon flaxseed meal plus 3 tablespoon warm water
- 2 tablespoon nut butter *
- ¼ cup thick yogurt
- 3 tablespoon water
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup grated zucchini *
- For toppings
- ¼ cup chopped dark chocolate *
- ¼ cup chopped nuts
- ¼ cup oats
- 2 pinches cinnamon optional
- 2 tablespoon honey drizzle optional
Instructions
- Pre heat you oven at 350 degrees f / 180 deg C
- Line your cupcake/ muffin pans with liners.
- Lets start with making flaxseed mixture
- Simply add 1 tablespoon of flaxseed meal with 3 tablespoon of warm not hot water . Mix well and keep aside . It will become gel like in 3-4 minutes
- Now lets prepare the toppings
- Sprinkle cinnamon on the toppings and give it a quick mix
- Warm up some honey to thin it out and drizzle on the toppings roughly coat them.
- Using honey is optional but it provides a great crunch and aids toppings to stick well and not fall apart.
- Sift all dry ingredients in one bowl .
- Mix all wet ingredients including the pepared flaxseed mixture in another except zucchini
- Now fold wet ingredients to dry ones. Mix well with a spatula/ spoon until lump free with minimum strokes . Do not over mix
- Now fold in the grated zucchini.
- You may add no more than 2 tablespoon water, a little at a time if needed and batter is too thick . Zucchini has lot of water content so it won’t be needed but It all depends on the quality of the flour.
- The muffin mixture is pretty thicker than regular cake batter. Its somewhat like an idli batter.
- Scoop the mixture 2/3 rd way full
- Top is generously with your favorite toppings
- Bake in a pre heated oven on middle rack for 24-28 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center muffin comes out clean.
- Check after 24 minute mark.
- Take it out of the oven and let them cool in the pan itself for 5 minutes. Later transfer them on a cooling rack.
- Enjoy!
- It makes a lovely 8’ or 9 “ round cake. Bake time will differ anywhere between 35-45 minutes
Notes
If you dont have flaxseed meal replace it with 3 tablespoon of yougurt / applesauce or banana puree - reduce sugar if adding bananas - experiment
cinnamon is optional , you can skip it or even replace it with ginger powder
I use raw sugar , feel free to use any
honey can be replaced with maple syrup
you can skip oat flour and simply use wheat - but oats is highly recommend
if vegan - swap yogurt with silken tofu or 1 more flax egg
feel free to use any nut butter
you can replace olive oil with any flavorless oil or canola oil too
Do drop in your valuable feedback and rate this recipe . And if you happen to make it do send me the pictures on my facebook page carveyourcraving as a message so that I can publish it in readers testimonial section.
Yes you may Som. you will have to increase liquid accordingly!
Can I replace dates purée with raw sugar ?
Hi Neha, I love granola bars and make a lot of them . You may sub honey with agave and corn syrup mixture. Agave will sweeten and corn syrup will glue it together 🙂 I will soon post some versions of granola bars soon.
Hi Khushboo, can you please post a recipe for granola bar when you get a chance?most of the recipes I have come across have honey, i’m allergic to it. I love the way you suggest substitutes in you recipes. Thanks in advance.