Mini Zucchini Brownie Muffins

A healthy-ish version of Two-Bite Brownies, plus why I started my veganuary series

I accidentally made a healthy-ish mini brownie muffin recipe, and I say “accidentally” because I realized I bought one too many zucchini for a different recipe I was developing. Then I remembered these two-bite brownies I used to buy from 7-Eleven, which I loved, but they always made me feel sick afterward. So I thought, maybe I could make a version that would actually make me feel good.

This is very much a “trust the process” kind of recipe because it starts off very crumbly. It might seem like you’re doing something wrong, but I promise it does get better. The zucchini adds moisture, so I didn't have to add an egg replacement. It also doesn’t add a vegetable flavour to these brownie muffins, so if you’re a parent trying to get your kids to eat more vegetables, then this might be a good option.

I added instant coffee to bring out the chocolate flavour because I decided not to add any chocolate chips. To be honest, I don’t like chocolate chips in brownies or muffins, but that’s just me.

Anyway, I would say the key is to be patient when you’re combining the ingredients because it does eventually form into a thick brownie batter. The result is a crinkly, shiny mini brownie muffin that tastes just sweet enough and doesn’t give you a sugar crash.

Ingredients

Makes 24 mini brownie muffins

• 1 ½ cups dark brown sugar

• ½ cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more for the pan

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 2 cups all-purpose flour

• 1/2 cup dutch-pressed cocoa powder

• 2 teaspoons instant coffee

• 1 ½ teaspoon baking soda

• 1 teaspoon kosher salt

• 3 cups zucchini, shredded

View the full recipe here.

On 31 Days, 31 Vegan Recipes

If you follow me on Instagram or TikTok, then you’ll know I’m sharing a new plant-based recipe every single day of this month. Some of these are completely new, while others are tried and true favourites. I’ve spent the past couple of months brainstorming, testing, developing, and writing these recipes, which I’m essentially treating like a project sprint.

This “sudden” burst of motivation came from almost a full year of telling myself the food media landscape is too saturated. That there’s no room for someone like me. And I may have had a full year of growth, but I’ve already missed the boat on riding that wave.

But then week after week, I would come up with a new idea. Ideas I liked, but would convince myself there was no point. I thought, maybe I would be more at peace if I just moved on.