Introduction
Oh my goodness, welcome back to my cozy corner of the internet! You know how sometimes you just crave a warm, comforting cookie, one that feels a little bit wholesome but is also totally decadent? Well, today I’m sharing a recipe that does just that, and it has a secret ingredient that makes it extra special (and maybe even helps you sneak in a little veggie goodness!). These Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Zucchini Cookies are like a warm hug – they’re soft, chewy, packed with flavor, and surprisingly easy to whip up. They remind me of baking with my grandma, filling the kitchen with delicious smells, but with a fun, modern twist. Get ready to fall in love with this simple, unforgettable recipe!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Fast: From start to finish, you can be enjoying these cookies in under 30 minutes!
- Easy: No fancy techniques here, just simple mixing and baking.
- Giftable: These cookies are perfect for sharing with friends, neighbors, or bringing to a potluck.
- Crowd-pleasing: Trust me, even the pickiest eaters won’t guess the secret ingredient, they’ll just know they’re delicious!
Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to gather from your pantry and fridge to make these yummy cookies:
- 2 cups quick oats: These give the cookies that perfect soft, chewy texture. Make sure they’re quick oats, not old-fashioned, for the best results.
- 2/3 cup all-purpose flour: Just your standard baking flour.
- 2 tablespoons cocoa powder: Adds a lovely depth and chocolatey goodness, complementing the chocolate chips.
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda: Our leavening agent to help the cookies rise just right.
- 1/4 teaspoon salt: A little pinch to balance out the sweetness and bring out the flavors.
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon: A touch of warmth and spice that pairs beautifully with oats and chocolate.
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar: This gives the cookies moisture and that classic chewy texture. Pack it firmly into your measuring cup!
- 1/2 cup butter, melted and slightly cooled: Melting the butter makes it super easy to mix everything together. Just let it cool for a few minutes so it doesn’t scramble the egg!
- 1 large egg: Our binder to hold everything together.
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract: Always a must for enhancing all those sweet flavors!
- 1 1/2 cups grated zucchini: The star secret ingredient! Don’t worry, you won’t taste it, but it adds amazing moisture.
- 1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips, divided: Because can you ever have too much chocolate?
How to Make It
Okay, let’s get baking! It’s really straightforward, I promise.
First things first, you’ll want to preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C). Go ahead and line a couple of baking sheets with parchment paper while the oven heats up. This makes cleanup a breeze and helps prevent sticking.
In a medium bowl, grab your dry ingredients: the quick oats, flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Give them a good whisk together. This makes sure everything is evenly distributed before you add the wet stuff.
Now, in a larger bowl (you’ll be adding the dry mix to this one), combine the melted butter and packed brown sugar. Beat them together until they’re nicely combined and look smooth. This is where that lovely caramel color starts to develop!
Next, beat in your egg and the vanilla extract. Mix until they’re just incorporated. Don’t overdo it here, we just want everything combined.
Okay, time to bring it all together! Add the bowl of dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in the large bowl. Mix gently until everything is just combined. Seriously, stop mixing as soon as you don’t see any dry flour spots. Overmixing can lead to tough cookies, and nobody wants that!
Here’s the fun part – stir in the grated zucchini and 1 cup of the chocolate chips. Fold them in gently until they’re mixed throughout the dough. Don’t be scared of the zucchini; it melts right into the cookie as it bakes!
Now, using a spoon or a cookie scoop (a cookie scoop is great for getting uniform sizes!), drop rounded tablespoons of dough onto your prepared baking sheets. Leave a little space between them for spreading.
If you want those beautiful, melty chocolate puddles on top, now’s the time! Press the remaining 1/2 cup of chocolate chips right onto the tops of each cookie dough ball.
Pop the baking sheets into your preheated oven. Bake for 10-12 minutes. You’ll know they’re ready when the edges look set and maybe slightly golden, but the centers still look a tiny bit soft. They’ll continue to set up as they cool.
Once they’re out of the oven, let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for just a few minutes. They’re delicate when hot! Then, carefully transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely. Or, you know, sneak one while it’s still warm – I won’t tell!
Substitutions & Additions
Want to mix things up or don’t have exactly what the recipe calls for? No problem! Here are some ideas:
- Flour: You can try using whole wheat flour for half of the all-purpose flour for a slightly nuttier flavor and added fiber. Gluten-free all-purpose blends might work, but results can vary depending on the blend.
- Sugar: If you’re out of brown sugar, you could use granulated sugar, but the texture will be less chewy. Using dark brown sugar will give you an even richer, moister cookie.
- Chocolate Chips: Feel free to swap semi-sweet for milk chocolate, dark chocolate, or even white chocolate chips! Butterscotch or peanut butter chips would also be delicious additions.
- Add-ins: Stir in 1/2 cup of chopped nuts (walnuts or pecans are great!) or dried cranberries along with the chocolate chips for extra texture and flavor.
Tips for Success
Just a couple of pointers to make sure your cookies turn out perfect every single time:
- Squeeze the Zucchini: Zucchini holds a lot of water! After grating, gently squeeze out the excess moisture using a paper towel or a clean kitchen towel. This is crucial for preventing soggy cookies.
- Don’t Overmix: I mentioned it in the steps, but it’s worth repeating! Mix the dry and wet ingredients until just combined. Overmixing develops the gluten in the flour, leading to tougher cookies.
- Cookie Scoops are Your Friend: Using a cookie scoop helps you get evenly sized cookies, which means they’ll bake more uniformly.
- Watch Your Oven: Oven temperatures can vary. Start checking your cookies at the 10-minute mark. They should look just set around the edges.
How to Store It
These cookies are best enjoyed fresh, but they store really well! Once they are completely cooled, you can store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3-4 days. If you want to keep them longer, you can freeze the baked cookies in a freezer-safe container or bag for up to 3 months. Just let them thaw at room temperature when you’re ready for a treat!
FAQs
- Do I have to peel the zucchini? No, you don’t need to peel it! Just wash it well. The peel is very thin and disappears into the cookie.
- Can I use old-fashioned oats instead of quick oats? Quick oats work best for the texture of these cookies as they break down more. Old-fashioned oats will give you a chewier, more textured cookie, which some people love, but it will be different!
- My zucchini is really wet, what should I do? Definitely squeeze out as much moisture as you can after grating. Patting it dry with paper towels or squeezing in a clean towel helps a lot.
- Can I freeze the cookie dough? Yes! You can scoop the dough balls onto a baking sheet, freeze until solid, and then transfer to a freezer bag. Bake from frozen, adding an extra minute or two to the baking time.
Our Secret Ingredient Chocolate Chip Zucchini Cookies
Equipment
- Oven Preheated to 375°F (190°C)
- Baking sheets Lined with parchment paper
- Parchment paper
- Medium bowl
- larger bowl
- Whisk
- Spoon Or cookie scoop
- Cookie scoop
- Wire rack
Ingredients
Cookie Dough
- 2 cup quick oats Make sure they're quick oats, not old-fashioned, for the best results.
- 0.67 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoon cocoa powder
- 0.5 teaspoon baking soda
- 0.25 teaspoon salt
- 0.5 teaspoon cinnamon
- 0.5 cup packed brown sugar Pack it firmly into your measuring cup!
- 0.5 cup butter, melted and slightly cooled Let it cool for a few minutes so it doesn't scramble the egg!
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1.5 cup grated zucchini Gently squeeze out excess moisture using a paper towel or clean kitchen towel after grating.
- 1.5 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, divided 1 cup for the dough, 1/2 cup for pressing on top.
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C). Go ahead and line a couple of baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the quick oats, flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.
- In a larger bowl, combine the melted butter and packed brown sugar. Beat them together until they're nicely combined and look smooth.
- Beat in the egg and the vanilla extract. Mix until they're just incorporated.
- Add the bowl of dry ingredients (from step 2) to the wet ingredients (from step 4). Mix gently until everything is just combined. Stop mixing as soon as you don't see any dry flour spots.
- Stir in the grated zucchini and 1 cup of the chocolate chips. Fold them in gently until they're mixed throughout the dough.
- Using a spoon or a cookie scoop, drop rounded tablespoons of dough onto your prepared baking sheets. Leave a little space between them for spreading.
- Press the remaining 1/2 cup of chocolate chips right onto the tops of each cookie dough ball.
- Pop the baking sheets into your preheated oven. Bake for 10-12 minutes. The edges should look set and slightly golden, but the centers still look a tiny bit soft.
- Once they're out of the oven, let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for just a few minutes. Then, carefully transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Squeeze the Zucchini: After grating, gently squeeze out the excess moisture using a paper towel or a clean kitchen towel. This is crucial for preventing soggy cookies.
- Don't Overmix: Mix the dry and wet ingredients until just combined. Overmixing develops the gluten in the flour, leading to tougher cookies.
- Cookie Scoops are Your Friend: Using a cookie scoop helps you get evenly sized cookies, which means they'll bake more uniformly.
- Watch Your Oven: Oven temperatures can vary. Start checking your cookies at the 10-minute mark. Substitutions & Additions:
- Flour: You can try using whole wheat flour for half of the all-purpose flour. Gluten-free all-purpose blends might work.
- Sugar: Granulated sugar will result in a less chewy texture. Dark brown sugar gives a richer, moister cookie.
- Chocolate Chips: Swap semi-sweet for milk, dark, white, butterscotch, or peanut butter chips.
- Add-ins: Stir in 1/2 cup of chopped nuts (walnuts or pecans) or dried cranberries. Storage:
- Store completely cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3-4 days.
- Freeze baked cookies in a freezer-safe container or bag for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature.
- Freeze cookie dough balls on a baking sheet until solid, then transfer to a freezer bag. Bake from frozen, adding an extra minute or two. FAQs:
- You don't need to peel the zucchini; just wash it well.
- Quick oats are recommended for texture, but old-fashioned oats give a chewier cookie.
- If zucchini is wet, squeeze out moisture after grating.
- Yes, you can freeze the cookie dough.