Chocolate Zucchini Muffins

Get Your Chocolate Fix..
and Your Vegetables All In One Bite!

If you have never heard of this combination before...Where have you been? It is pretty popular now, but I remember when it first showed up years ago, everyone thought it was a really strange pairing. That's until they tasted it.

I kind of got a jump start on this recipe. I know by mid-summer there will be zucchini muffins, breads and cakes all over the food blogisphere. I wasn't really trying to beat everyone to the punch, I just had some extra zucchini in the fridge and I somehow thought of these muffins. I have had and made chocolate zucchini muffins in the past but never like these.
This recipe really worked out great. The flavor is very chocolatey and the texture is soft and velvety. Very moist as well, due to the zucchini, of course!

What more could you ask for in a muffin?
Oh yeah, I almost forgot, they're somewhat low-fat too!

Chocolate Zucchini Muffins
by Mixed Salad Annie

1-1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup dutch processed cocoa
1 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. fine sea salt
1/3 cup tub margarine or butter
1/4 cup canola oil
1/2 cup natural granulated sugar
1/2 cup natural brown sugar, packed
2 eggs
2 tsps. vanilla
3/4 cup fat-free plain yogurt
2 cups grated zucchini
1/3 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray non-stick muffin tin with cooking spray.

Melt the margarine or butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir in cocoa and heat until fragrant, about 1 minute. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
Sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt; set aside.

Cream together cocoa butter mixture and sugars in mixing bowl until light and fluffy,
using electric mixer at medium speed. Beat in oil; add yogurt, then blend in eggs and vanilla. Slowly add dry ingredients and blend until just combined. Stir in zucchini and mini chocolate chips with a rubber spatula. Pour batter into prepared muffin tins. Bake 19- 21 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center of muffins comes out clean. Cool in pan on rack for 10 minutes.