A savory mini-chocolate donut covered with a buttery, cinnamon and sugar coating that melts in your mouth!
It’s that time of year where if you walk into my kitchen you’d think I ran my own Farmer’s Market stand! My counter top is piled high with peak of the season fresh fruits and vegetables. I have peaches, blueberries, lettuce, cucumbers, zucchini, and carrots and my window sill is lined with tomatoes. And I did have corn and potatoes, but we ate those for dinner!
My grocery bill is always so much lower during the summer months because I go to the Farmer’s Market 2-3 times a week to keep us stocked on fresh fruit and vegetables. I can make meals out of what I find so there is no need for me to go to the grocery store as often! I just love meandering through the peak of the season market stands, everything is so colorful and tastes so fresh and delicious. The produce from a grocery store doesn’t even compare to that from a farmer.
A lot of the recipes I share with you don’t require you to make special trips to the store. Most of the time they are all ingredients you have on hand, unless you are just starting on your baking journey. If you are new to baking, then it will take a little while to establish your pantry in a way that accommodates on-a-whim baking – meaning, you have everything you need almost all of the time!
My husband is the official ‘shredder’ in our house. He does any shredding or cutting while I do the rest. It is the CUTEST thing to see him sitting on the stool at the counter shredding away while I put the rest of the recipe together. It’s also my top secret tactic for keeping him out from underneath my feet while I am flying around the kitchen! HA!
Ingredients for Chocolate Zucchini Donut Muffins
- Sugar
- Vegetable Oil
- Unsweetened Applesauce
- Eggs
- Milk
- Lemon Juice
- Flour
- Cocoa Powder
- Salt
- Baking Soda
- Cinnamon
- Zucchini
- Butter
How to Make Chocolate Zucchini Donut Muffins
- Preheat the oven to 350. Lightly spray mini-muffin pans with non-stick spray.
- In a small bowl, combine 7 tbsp of milk and 1 tsp lemon juice. Set aside to let curdle.
- Grate enough zucchini to make 2 cups. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine 3/4 cup sugar, 1/3 cup vegetable oil, and 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce. Mix well, then stir in 2 eggs and curdled milk.
- Combine 2 cups flour, 4 tbsp cocoa powder, 1/2 tsp salt, 1 tsp cinnamon, and 1 tsp baking soda and mix well. Pour into large bowl and mix well.
- Pour zucchini into batter and mix until well combined.
- Spoon into mini-muffin pans and bake for 10-12 minutes. Start with 10 minutes. Add a minute at a time until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool in the pan before removing.
- Mix 1/2 tsp cinnamon and 1/2 cup sugar. Melt 4 tbsp butter. Roll each muffin in the melted butter then toss in the cinnamon/sugar mixture.
Tips for Making Chocolate Zucchini Donut Muffins
- You don’t need to peel the zucchini. Leaving the peeling on saves time and doesn’t alter the taste or texture of the muffins!
- You can substitute the lemon juice with vinegar OR if you don’t want to curdle the milk you can use buttermilk.
- I like to fill the muffin cups with batter right to the top!
- You don’t need to use muffin liners; the muffins will pop out easily if you use non-stick spray and let them cool in the pan before removing.
- If you are not eating these right away, hold off on the cinnamon/sugar coating. You don’t have to, you can make them ahead of time and they will still taste great! But, for best taste, coat them right before serving. Then the outside of the donut muffin will be slightly warm from the warm butter and they just melt in your mouth!
These babies are absolutely mouth-watering delicious! That buttery, cinnamon, sugar coating reminds me of fair donuts, except healthier! The chocolately goodness just melts away in your mouth. These will get rave reviews when you put them on your breakfast for Sunday brunch!
For More Zucchini Recipes, Check Out:
For More Muffin Recipes, Check Out:
- Vegan Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins with Peanut Butter
- Vegan Blueberry Muffins
- Vegan Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins
Chocolate Zucchini Donut Muffins
Chocolate Zucchini Donut Muffins, a savory mini-chocolate donut covered with a buttery, cinnamon and sugar coating that melts in your mouth!
Ingredients
Donut Muffins
- 3/4 cup Sugar
- 1/3 cup Vegetable Oil
- 1/4 cup Unsweetened Applesauce
- 2 Eggs
- 7 tbsp Milk + 1 tsp Lemon Juice
- 2 cups Flour
- 4 tbsp Cocoa Powder
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Cinnamon
- 1 tsp Baking Soda
- 2 cups Shredded Zucchini
Cinnamon/Sugar Coating
- 1/2 tsp Cinnamon
- 1/2 cup Sugar
- 4 tbsp Melted Butter
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350. Lightly spray mini-muffin pans with non-stick spray.
- In a small bowl, combine 7 tbsp of milk and 1 tsp lemon juice. Set aside to let curdle.
- Grate enough zucchini to make 2 cups. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine sugar, oil, and applesauce. Mix well, then stir in eggs and curdled milk.
- Combine flour, cocoa powder, salt, cinnamon, and baking soda and mix well. Pour into large bowl and mix well.
- Pour zucchini into batter and mix until well combined.
- Spoon into mini-muffin pans and bake for 10-12 minutes. Start with 10 minutes. Add a minute at a time until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool in the pan before removing.
- Mix cinnamon/sugar coating. Melt 4 tbsp butter. Roll each muffin in the melted butter then toss in the cinnamon/sugar mix.
Notes
Adapted from Crazy for Crust
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
38Serving Size:
2Amount Per Serving: Calories: 87Total Fat: 4gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 13mgSodium: 79mgCarbohydrates: 13gFiber: 0gSugar: 7gProtein: 1g
The nutrition information provided isn't always accurate. The nutrition facts were automated by the Nutritionix database. Because it's done by automation, it is best practice to double check for accuracy.
