Zucchini Chocolate Chip Cookies

Zucchini chocolate chip cookies are incredibly soft, cakey, and loaded with nuts and oats. They taste like chocolate chip zucchini bread but in a cookie!

Can we still be friends if I put vegetables in my cookies? I promise you won’t taste the veggies in here. So yes, I did put vegetables in my cookies, and they taste just like your favorite Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread in a cookie. A melt-in-your-mouth bite that makes a perfectly balanced healthy snack or wholesome breakfast. Plus, these cookies are perfect to use up extra zucchinis this summer! I’m obsessed.

This recipe is part of my monthly cookie baking challenge – every month a new cookie for you. Make sure you check my other cookies created for you this year, from the Fudgy Chocolate Brownie Cookie to the Chocolate Hazelnut Cookies, not to forget the Perfect Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies, among others.

Why zucchini in my cookies?

Still not convinced about this whole idea of adding vegetables in your cookies? I’ve heard you and I’ll be happy to break down the reasons why I love using zucchini in baked goods.

First, and this is great news, zucchini does not bring any additional flavors to your baking recipes. They are completely tasteless, so you don’t have to worry about that. Expect an old-fashioned kind of recipe, home style and full of classic flavors.

Then, keep in mind that zucchini are loaded with water, which brings an incredibly moist texture to your baking goods, such as my chocolate chip zucchini bread, and it would work with muffins too. It doesn’t replace butter in a recipe but it enables you to use less butter than you normally would.

Finally, zucchini are healthy! Wait, I’m not saying these cookies are healthy. Healthier maybe, with way more fiber you would have for a classic cookie recipe. But overall, you still have sugar, butter and chocolate chips in this cookie recipe. So if you’re here because you are looking for a diet cookie, you might not be in the exact right spot at the moment and I invite you to check my healthy snacks instead, such as my Vegan Banana Oatmeal Cookies. That being said, these cookies are more than a regular cookie because they contain vegetables, which is always a great trick to make your little ones (or even yourself) eat more veggies.

Tips for grating the zucchini

Because zucchini contain a lot of water, you don’t want to grate them too finely. A box grater would do great, but try to avoid a microplane grater. The latter is usually my favorite grater for other purposes (easy to handle, quick and effective), but grates too finely for this recipe. If it’s your only option however, make sure you drain the zucchini with paper towel to remove the excess of water. You want to keep the moistness, but in reasonable amounts.

Now I think we all agree that it takes time and effort to grate a zucchini. Sometimes it even discourages me to bake my favorite dessert recipes (and it’s the food blogger herself talking!). So here’s my little trick: to shorten your preparation time, simply shred the zucchini in a food processor. It is way easier than using a grater and works great. This way, you won’t even need to drain the excess water.

Other desserts using vegetables:

• Brown Butter Zucchini Carrot Cake
• Carrot Cake Sandwich Cookies
• Beetroot Cake with Vanilla Frosting
• Easy Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
• The Best Pumpkin Bread
• Healthy Chocolate Zucchini Bread

Besides the grated part, these zucchini chocolate chip cookies are a pretty simple cookie recipe. Mix all the wet ingredients together, then slowly add all the dry ingredients, finishing up with the walnuts and chocolate chips. Swap the chocolate chips with some raisins or cranberries to make them healthier. As for the nuts, any nuts will do. I personally chose a mix between walnuts and pecans. Note that the recipe calls for a mix between all-purpose flour and quick oats (that you can replace with old-fashioned oats alternatively). The use of oats brings a chewy texture to the cookies and prevent them from being on the dry-cakey side.

Now the best part… Spice it up! If you look at all the baking recipes involving vegetables listed above, you will notice that all of them have in common the use of spices. Zucchini chocolate chip cookies are no exception, with a little bit of cinnamon added to the recipe. So when zucchini are in abundance at the end of summer, this recipe makes a perfect transition for the harvest season. You get the idea: any excuse is great when it’s about making cookies – especially if it helps you to eat your greens!

Zucchini Chocolate Chip Cookies

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• Author: Delphine Fortin
• Prep Time: 20 mins
• Cook Time: 12 mins
• Total Time: 32 minutes
• Yield: 18 cookies 1x
• Category: cookies
• Cuisine: American

Zucchini chocolate chip cookies are incredibly soft, cakey, and loaded with nuts and oats. They taste like chocolate chip zucchini bread but in a cookie!

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 1 1/2 cups (180g) all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup (1 stick/120g) unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup (45g) packed light-brown sugar or coconut sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups (325g) shredded zucchini, about 1 1/2 medium zucchini
• 1 cup (90g) quick or old-fashioned oats
• 3/4 cup (95g) chopped pecans or walnuts
• 3/4 cup (150g) chocolate chips

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Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
2. In a mixing bowl whisk together flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt.
3. In a separate bowl, and using an electric hand mixer, beat together butter and sugar until creamy. Mix in the egg and vanilla extract.
4. Add shredded zucchini and with mixer set on low speed, slowly add in the flour mixture. Stir in oats, walnuts and chocolate chips.
5. Spoon the dough into the baking sheet, about 2 Tablespoons each, spacing cookies 2-inches apart, and bake for 12-14 minutes, or until edges are lightly golden. Cool on baking sheet for about 2 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container.

Back-To-School, Chocolate, Chocolate Desserts, Cookies, Oats, Snacks, Summer, Zucchini

Did you make this recipe?

Lastly, if you make this Zucchini Chocolate Chip Cookies, be sure to leave a comment and give this recipe a rating, letting me know how you liked it. And of course, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Thank you and enjoy!