Thick, pillowy, and studded with chocolate chips, these soft Zucchini Cookies get right back to the basics of one of zucchini’s most fantastic qualities. You can use zucchini to bake yummy, healthy desserts! Zucchini makes for wholesome desserts that: These delish Zucchini Chocolate Chip Cookies are made with more nutritious ingredients, don’t require you to chill the dough, and like many of my favorite healthy cookie recipes, they’re sweet enough to leave you satisfied without sending you into sugar overload. To continue our Zucchini Week fun, let’s make this simple, super satisfying zucchini cookie recipe!
How to Make Zucchini Cookies
You’ll need a few pantry staples to make oatmeal Zucchini Cookies. I bet you have them on hand already.
Whole Wheat Flour. These Zucchini Cookies are 100% whole grain but do not taste like it! I like to bake with white whole wheat flour, which, like all-purpose (white) flour, is mild in taste but offers benefits that all-purpose flour does not, such as additional protein, fiber, and nutrients. Oatmeal. I adore oatmeal and zucchini together! Oatmeal gives the Zucchini Cookies a delightful texture, a homey, comforting vibe, and extra whole-grain goodness.
Plus, the transformation of the recipe from zucchini chocolate chip cookies into zucchini OATMEAL cookies means we can eat them for breakfast, yes? ^Rhetorical question. ^^If you are still looking for an answer, it is YES.
Cinnamon, Spice, Everything Nice. A few spices add to the comfort factor of the Zucchini Cookies without overpowering them. Honey + Coconut Sugar. These more natural sweeteners give the Zucchini Cookies a delightful, almost caramel-y backnote.
You can find coconut sugar at most grocery stores and online here. If you can’t find it or don’t want to purchase it, brown sugar works in the recipe as well. And of course we need one last optional (or not optional) ingredient…
CHOCOLATE.
I used a heaping helping of smooth dark chocolate chips. Skeptical about zucchini and chocolate together? YOU MUST TRY IT. I know it sounds odd at first, but the combo works famously. Case(s) in point: Zucchini Brownies, Chocolate Zucchini Muffins, Paleo Zucchini Bread.
Zucchini Cookie Recipe Variations
Here are a few more ways to jazz up the recipe to suit your preferences or what you have on hand, and to make extra batches to use up that zucchini!
Vary the Mix-ins. Instead of (or in addition to) the chocolate chips, try making Zucchini Cookies with raisins, Zucchini Cookies with coconut, or Zucchini Cookies with walnuts or pecans. Lemon Zucchini Cookies. Omit the chocolate chips. Beat the zest of 1 small lemon in with the sugar and the butter. For an extra burst, top the Zucchini Cookies with lemon glaze (the lemon glaze on top of this Lemon Blueberry Bundt Cake would work nicely). Zucchini Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting. Bake the cookies as directed and let cool completely. Spread them with the cream cheese frosting like the one on top of this Cream Cheese Banana Bread. Vegan Zucchini Cookies. You can swap zucchini for the carrot in my Carrot Cookies, which are already vegan. OR, if you want to play around with this specific zucchini cookie recipe, you can experiment by using a flax egg, maple syrup, nondairy yogurt, and a nondairy buttery substitute. (I haven’t tested this yet, so please comment and let me know how it turns out if you do!) Zucchini Cookies No Flour. Swap zucchini for the carrot in my Carrot Cookies. Gluten Free Zucchini Cookies. Use a 1:1 GF baking blend like this one in place of the white whole wheat flour.
Take advantage of summer’s bounty. Bake yourself, your friends, and your coworkers a batch of Zucchini Cookies with Chocolate Chips. It’s the right thing to do!
Recommended Tools to Make Oatmeal Zucchini Cookies with Chocolate Chips
Easy-clean box grater Favorite cookie sheets Parchment paper (if you use parchment paper to line baking sheets often, these pre-cut sheets are well worth it) Cookie scoop (evenly portioned cookies = evenly baked cookies)
