Chocolate Avocado Zucchini Muffins

It’s zucchini season and gardens are overflowing. What to do? Aha! Zucchini muffins, but with a twist! I wanted to know if avocado and chocolate together would make an incredibly moist and rich muffin. Well, the answer is emphatically yes! These babies have a lusciously smooth texture using low-carb, grain-free coconut butter and almond meal instead of flour. You won’t notice either the zucchini or avocado, as their mellow pulp melts right into the muffins, creating a subtle sweetness and light texture. These are 100% guilt-free and low-carb muffins if you use the zero-glycemic sweeteners suggested. Sweeten to your own taste, and if you use carob instead of chocolate you’ll need a lot less. I made the Mexican chocolate variation (see bottom of recipe) because I love the combined flavors of cacao, cinnamon, and chile. Easy to bake and freeze, these muffins taste divine with Vegan Cream Cheese. A food processor is helpful but not required. Yield: 12 muffins

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Chocolate Avocado Zucchini Muffins

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Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup almond meal
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 heaping teaspoon unprocessed salt
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/3 cup pure unsweetened cacao (or cocoa) powder (Carob powder if you’re avoiding chocolate)
  • 2/3 cup softened coconut butter, or 151 grams if hard. (to soften, place the container in a bowl of warm water)
  • 4 large eggs, at room temperature
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla
  • 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
  • Meat of 1 avocado (Mine was 118 grams, peeled and seeded)
  • About 1 1/2 cups sweetener, such as Just Like Sugar Table Top natural chicory root sweetener, or 1/4 cup PureLo Lo Han Sweetener by Swanson, or 1 cup raw honey, or your favorite sweetener. If you're using carob instead of cacao powder, start with 1/2 cup sweetener, and add more if needed to your taste. (I like part brown sweetener in this recipe.)
  • 3/4 cup (about 150 grams) coarsely grated zucchini
  • 1 cup chopped nuts such as walnuts, almonds, or pecans, soaked and toasted if possible (See All About Nuts)

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease muffin tins with coconut oil, and flour with cacao powder. (It matches the color of the muffins!)
  2. In a food processor or mixing bowl, add almond meal, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and cacao powder. Process well. Add the coconut butter and mix until it resembles a smooth paste. Add the eggs, vanilla, vinegar, avocado, and sweetener. Mix well. Add zucchini and mix in in slightly so it's still in grated threads. Pulse in the nuts very briefly. Pour batter into 12 muffin tins.
  3. Bake for 28 - 32 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool 15 minutes and enjoy.
  4. Variation: Mexican Chocolate Muffins!
  5. To the above recipe dry ingredients, add 1 tablespoon more cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice, 1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg, and 1/4 teaspoon pure chipotle powder (smoked jalapeno chile). Ay Caramba!

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