Name: Chocolate Zucchini Cookies
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 8 min
Total time: 23 min
Yield: 36
Ingredients: 1 cup unsalted butter, melted; 1 cup granulated sugar; 1/2 cup brown sugar, lightly packed; 2 teaspoons vanilla; 3/4 cup shredded zucchini, drained; 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour; 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (I use Dutch processed); 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1/2 teaspoon baking powder; 1/2 teaspoon baking soda; 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

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These chocolate zucchini cookies are soft and chewy and so easy to make. A tasty, chocolatey cookie, made without eggs, that everyone will love!

Do you have a ton of garden zucchini to use up this year?

I’ll admit, I don’t have that much left. After making these cookies, this chocolate zucchini bundt cake, and a couple batches of chocolate chip zucchini bread and chocolate zucchini muffins, it’s basically all gone.

But then, zucchini doesn’t really grow well for me. My garden produced a couple this year, and that was quite the thrill, because it’s the first time ever I’ve managed to grow any!

Apparently it’s supposed to be an easy vegetable to grow, but for some reason it just does not seem that simple to me. Oh well, at least we managed to get our fill of zucchini filled baking this year!

These chocolate zucchini cookies are absolutely delicious. They take just a few minutes to make, are soft and chewy, don’t have any eggs in them, and will disappear in no time.

I think it took three days for the batch to disappear at my house. They’re so tasty!

Do you peel zucchini before you shred it?

It’s completely personal preference, but I never peel zucchini before grating it. The skin is so thin that you don’t need to.

Plus, it’s easier to shred the zucchini without peeling it. As well, when you leave the skin on, you don’t lose the nutrients that are in it.

How do you grate zucchini for cookies?

I almost always use my food processor to grate zucchini. It’s just the quickest way to grate a large batch of zucchini, but the large holes on a box grater will work just as well. Any grated zucchini that I don’t use immediately, I freeze in 1 cup portions to use later.

I don’t peel the zucchini before grating it, but I do quarter it and scrape out the seeds first when the zucchini is large.

How do you get the water out of zucchini?

Zucchini needs to be drained after shredding it to use in baking. It has a lot of water in it, so if you don’t drain it a bit, you can end up with too much liquid in your baked goods.

After grating the zucchini, put it in a fine mesh strainer and let the liquid drain while you’re prepping the rest of your recipe. Pressing on the shredded zucchini with a spoon will help to squeeze out some of the excess liquid.

You can wring out even more liquid in a clean kitchen towel if you like, but I don’t find this to be a necessary step for most recipes. For these cookies, just squeeze out as much water as you can with your hands as you measure it out.

Can zucchini cookies be frozen?

Yes, zucchini cookies can be frozen. Let the cookies cool completely, and then freeze them in an airtight container between layers of wax paper, for up to 3 months.

How to make Chocolate Zucchini Cookies:

I use Dutch processed cocoa powder for these cookies. I think that natural cocoa powder would be fine as well if that’s what you have, but I haven’t tried it myself.
Don’t over-bake these cookies or they will be dry. Err on the side of underdone, rather than overdone. The edges will look done, but the middles should still look quite soft when you take them out of the oven.
I like to use a 1.5 tablespoon cookie scoop to portion out the cookie dough, but you can just use a spoon to scoop it out and roll it into balls in your hands instead if you don’t have one.

Here are some more great cookie recipes for you:

Yield: 36 cookies

Chocolate Zucchini Cookies

These chocolate zucchini cookies are soft and chewy and so easy to make. A tasty, chocolatey cookie, made without eggs, that everyone will love!

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 8 minutes

Total Time 23 minutes

Ingredients

1 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar, lightly packed
2 teaspoons vanilla
3/4 cup shredded zucchini, drained
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (I use Dutch processed)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350F.
In a stand mixer, or in a bowl with an electric mixer, combine the melted butter, sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla until smooth.
Stir in the shredded zucchini. Set aside.
In medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, salt, baking powder, and baking soda.
Add this mixture to the butter mixture, and mix with the cookie paddles (or an electric hand mixer) until everything is well combined.
Stir in the chocolate chips.
Roll the cookie dough into 1.5 tablespoon sized balls and place them on a cookie sheet, 2” apart.
Flatten the balls to about 1/2” thick with the bottom of a glass or the palm of your hand. They won’t spread very much in the oven.
Bake for 7-9 minutes. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes and then remove them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Store the cookies at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 5 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.

Notes

Source: Adapted from these chewy chocolate chip banana cookies.

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Nutrition Information:

Yield:

Serving Size:

1 cookie
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 137Total Fat: 7gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 14mgSodium: 56mgCarbohydrates: 19gFiber: 1gSugar: 11gProtein: 1g

Nutrition Information is estimated based on ingredients used and may not be exact.

AnneMarie

Friday 20th of October 2023

I think I squeezed out too much liquid from the zucchini. I could barely make a ball out of them and then they crumbled when I pushed down on them. I ended up adding back at least a teaspoon of water just to get them to combine. Overall, really good not dry like I thought they would be. Who care if they are undercooked, no eggs in them!

Lara

Sunday 8th of October 2023

Oh my gosh! These are my new favorite Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies. They stay moist and chewy for over a week. I re-made 2 batches: one with standard, white flour and one with Namaste Gluten Free Flour Blend for Gluten Free Friends and took them to Church. I am sharing the recipe with MANY Church Friends as they are a big hit!

Esther

Thursday 31st of August 2023

Made these this afternoon and they were a hit! I used half white chips and half chocolate. Will definitely make again!

Leslye

Monday 14th of August 2023

These cookies are very good. I made them per recipe with only a few differences. I used Hershey’s Cocoa because that’s what I had on hand. I do lightly peel my zucchini & I use the hand grater (middle grate) both personal preferences. I did not squeeze the moisture out of the zucchini—as the end I used seemed too dry for such. I got called away and had to put the dough in the fridge for almost 4 hours, but end result once baked? very good!

Janet

Saturday 10th of September 2022

Made these for cookout with friends. They taste delicious and everyone liked them.