Deep, dark, chocolate muffins studded with chocolate chips and roasted hazelnuts, with a healthy twist. These gluten free muffins are sweet and decadent but secretly healthy!
Sometimes on a Sunday morning a gal needs chocolate for breakfast. You know those days when you wake up and you just want to laze about in your PJs, watch Frasier re-runs, and snuggle with your pup on the couch with a cup of tea and a decadent chocolate breakfast? I can’t be the only one who has those days. This past Sunday morning was one of those days. We had a hard week last week with the passing of a friend of mine, and on Sunday morning I just needed comfort. And so, these muffins were born.
The secret to keeping these muffins moist and fluffy, not dry and flat like some healthy muffins, is the combination of vegetable oil (I use rice bran or grapeseed oil), Greek yoghurt, and grated zucchini! A little healthy vegetable boost right there in your snack! 
I wanted a little extra something in my muffins so I toasted up some hazelnuts to add to the batter along with the chocolate chips. Fluffy moist muffin + melty chocolate bits + crunchy nuts = heaven. I knew these were going to be a hit as soon as I put them in the oven. No one can deny the power of a hazelnut-chocolate combination! 
I’ll tell you a little secret: before I started baking gluten free, I rarely made muffins! No matter what I tried they turned out too dense, gummy, or worst of all, truly bland (there is no greater crime for a baker than a bland creation). Gluten-full muffins are tricky. You have to mix the batter enough so that you don’t get huge pockets of flour when they are baked, but not so much that you over-develop the gluten protein and end up with dense, gummy muffins. That’s the beauty of gluten free muffins: no gluten = no worry about over-mixing! Gluten free baking science at its best! These muffins are soft and moist and no one would ever guess that they are full of zucchini and friendly for everyone to enjoy!
Once you’ve grated your zucchini, and toasted and chopped your hazelnuts, these cocoa laden gems come together very quickly. It’s a flick of the wrist to whisk together the dry ingredients, another few turns to whisk together the dry ingredients, a big stir to combine the two, and a further stir or two to incorporate the zucchini, hazelnuts, and chocolate chips. The baking time is the longest process, but those fifteen minutes are easily put to use making a cup of tea and washing up the few utensils you need to make the muffins. Sunday morning decadence streamlined.
If you’ve got little ones, these muffins are a great way to introduce them to the wonders of baking. A few short steps and soon your little bakers will get to taste the fruits of their labour. Chocolaty, hazelnut-y, soft and delicious fruits. Can someone find me a muffin tree?
Chocolate Hazelnut Zucchini Muffins
gluten free | makes 15 muffins
adapted from here
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup hazelnuts
- 1 medium zucchini, shredded
- 40 grams buckwheat flour
- 40 grams white rice flour
- 40 grams brown rice flour
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs
- 1/4 cup Greek (or natural) yoghurt
- 1/4 cup rice bran oil (or other flavourless vegetable oil)
- 1/2 cup caster sugar
- 1 teaspoon instant coffee powder
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup dark (or milk) chocolate chips
Method
- Preheat your oven to 180C (350F) and line 15 holes of two 12-hole muffin tins with paper liners.
- Spread hazelnuts across a baking sheet and bake for 8 minutes. Remove from the oven, chop roughly and set aside until required.
- Set grated zucchini on some paper towels to drain. Don’t squeeze, you want some of the moisture!
- In a large bowl whisk together buckwheat flour, white rice flour, brown rice flour, baking soda, baking powder, cocoa powder and salt.
- In a small bowl whisk together eggs, yoghurt, oil, caster sugar, coffee powder, and vanilla extract.
- Whisk wet ingredients into dry until mostly combined.
- Add shredded zucchini, chocolate chips, and hazelnuts. Reserve a few nuts to sprinkle on top if you wish.
- Stir in the add ins and then divide mixture evenly between muffin cups.
- Bake in pre-heated oven for 15 minutes or until tops bounce back when pressed lightly.
- Remove from the oven and tip out of the baking trays to cool completely.
- Enjoy!
