Chocolate Zucchini Muffins with Avocado {5 Years of Blogging!}

WE ARE HERE. Five years of blogging. Five years of recipes. Five years of me prattling on about my life, overusing alliteration, then convincing you that you should make the same thing I just did, which today includes these moist, decadent, and deceptively healthy Avocado Chocolate Zucchini Muffins.

Yes, it is my FIVE YEAR BLOGIVERSARY. This calls for a double serving of Avocado Chocolate Zucchini Muffins which, appropriately enough, contain double the chocolate.

Also, did you catch that ample alliteration in the opening paragraph? I'm honestly not sure how you managed to put up with my literary excess for so long, but you have. Five years after I hit "publish" on that first post, we are still together. For that, and for so much more, I am truly, deeply grateful.

When I began this website five years ago, I barely knew what a food blog was, let alone that it could be an actual job. If you had told me back then that if I stuck with blogging long enough and worked hard enough that other people—people who were not my mom, grandma, or Ben's aunt—would read it and even make my recipes, I would have stared at you like you had two heads.

If you had told me that I'd eventually leave my very stable consulting job to pursue blogging as an actual career in which I would earn an actual income, I would have stared at you like you had three.

I spent a long time staring at my computer screen last night, struggling for the words that would express how grateful I am for your support without sounding completely cheesy and cliché. I failed. Dozens of sentences written and deleted, and they all came back to one, clear point:

I couldn't do this without you, and I am abundantly, fiercely grateful that you are here.

I have the great privilege to do something that I love every single day and do it in a way that most intimately expresses my love for and connection to others: through food. I am immeasurably blessed.

While I enjoy many aspects of blogging, the one that keeps me motivated on the days when I struggle (and there have been many) is knowing that what I make in my Wisconsin kitchen comes to life in yours. Whether you leave a comment on a post telling me you tried a recipe, send me an email to tell me that your husband (or picky toddler) who "doesn't like healthy food" loved my dish, or post a photo of a recipe you made to Instagram (use #wellplated; it's the best way for me to find it!), YOU MAKE MY DAY. Five years and hundreds of recipes later, and it still blows my mind that people actually make what I post. Once again, thank you.

And to my quieter readers, the ones who sign up for my email list, like Well Plated on Facebook, or make a recipe without commenting, or who simply check the site every now and then to see what I've posted, I am incredibly grateful for you too. Your support is critical and allows me to continue to grow and create.

When I thought about what recipe I wanted to share to celebrate the five-year mark, it was harder than I'd expected. I'd already gone back and reshot my very first recipe (yay Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas!), and I'd recently posted this over-the-top Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake, so it felt too soon for another decadent dessert. I wanted whatever recipe I shared to feel representative of both my overall recipe point of view AND of the recipes I know that you, my wonderful readers, love most.

Answer: MUFFINS!

But not just any muffins. These muffins needed to be indisputably delicious while still using wholesome ingredients. I wanted them to taste rich and satisfying but still be fit for a healthy breakfast. Also, chocolate. We needed chocolate.

Although Well Plated is a mostly "healthy" food blog, to me healthy doesn't mean sticking to a specific diet, giving up favorite foods (chocolate forever ♥), or blowing your budget on fancy ingredients.

I firmly believe that healthy eating can (and should!) be just as satisfying as the alternative, if not more so. A healthy, balanced diet will help you lead a more energetic, balanced life, and it can be SO YUMMY too. I delight in creating more wholesome versions of everyday comfort foods, and muffins have been some of your absolute favorites!

Let's take a stroll down the Well Plated muffin memory lane:

These healthy Avocado Chocolate Zucchini Muffins with Chocolate Chips are the next stop on the Well Plated muffin tour. They are also exactly the sort of recipe I wanted to give you today:

Easy to make.

Made from wholesome ingredients.

Hidden veggies.

Double the chocolate.

Picky eater approved (three separate toddlers devoured theirs).

DELICIOUS.

I truly wish that we could all squeeze into my kitchen so that I could serve you a Avocado Chocolate Zucchini Muffin, warm from my oven with the chocolate chips still melty on top, and do my best to tell you in person how much it means to me that you are here. Although we are separated by a computer screen, that doesn't change one ounce of how much I appreciate you.

Thank you once again for making these last five years possible. Cheers to you, to chocolate zucchini muffins, and to many more to come!

Love, Erin Tools I used to make these Avocado Chocolate Zucchini Muffins:

This brilliant muffin tin: It's durable, easy to clean, and comes with a lid so that you can easily transport the muffins too.

Coarse grater: Easiest for grating a small amount of zucchini. (For larger amounts, I like to use the grater blade on my food processor.)

Healthy Chocolate Zucchini Muffins. Moist, tender muffins made with avocado, whole wheat flour, and chocolate chips. You'll never taste the veggies!

Yield: 12 muffins

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients:

1 cup very finely shredded zucchini (about 1 small/medium zucchini)

1 medium avocado, peeled and pitted

2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted and cooled to room temperature (or substitute light extra-virgin olive oil or canola oil)

1 large egg, at room temperature

2/3 cup coconut sugar (or substitute granulated sugar)

2 tablespoons milk, any kind you like (I use unsweetened vanilla almond milk)

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 1/4 cups white whole wheat flour

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips, mini or regular

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. Coat a 12-cup standard size muffin tin with baking spray. Set aside.

Spread the zucchini out on a few layers of kitchen or paper towels. Press out as much water as possible, changing out the towels as needed. Set aside.

Place the avocado in the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or a large mixing bowl. Beat with the mixer until the avocado is very smooth and no chunks remain. You should have about 2/3 cups of smooth avocado paste. Add the coconut oil, egg, coconut sugar, milk, and vanilla extract, beating until well combined.

In a separate bowl, stir together the white whole wheat flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, folding by hand with a wooden spoon or spatula and stirring just until the flour disappears. The batter will be very thick, almost like brownie batter, and the dry ingredients will take several strokes to work in between additions. Fold in the zucchini and chocolate chips, reserving a few of the chocolate chips to sprinkle on top of the muffins.

Scoop the batter into the prepared muffin cups, filling no more than three-quarters of the way to the top. Sprinkle with the remaining chocolate chips. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, until the tops are set and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean with just a few moist crumbs clinging to it. Let cool in the pan for 2 minutes, them transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Store leftovers at room temperature according to my guide for How to Store Muffins for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 3 months.

If you would like to reduce the calorie count of the muffins, omit or reduce the number of chocolate chips.

All images and text ©Erin Clarke/Well Plated.

Nutrition Information

Serving Size: 1 muffin

Amount Per Serving:

Calories: 188 Calories

Total Fat: 8g

Saturated Fat: 4g

Cholesterol: 16mg

Sodium: 160mg

Carbohydrates: 30g

Fiber: 5g

Sugar: 16g

Protein: 3g

About Erin Clarke

I'm fearlessly dedicated to making healthy food taste incredible. Wearer of plaid, lover of bourbon, and firmly convinced that sweets and veggies both deserve a place at the table. MORE ABOUT ERIN...

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Source: Chocolate Zucchini Muffins with Avocado {5 Years of Blogging!}