Chocolate Zucchini Cheesecake Muffins

Chocolate Zucchini Cheesecake Muffins and a cup of milk is the perfect way to start out the day. Chocolate and cheesecake for breakfast always gets my vote.

Well, our kids successfully managed their first day back at school yesterday. Is it me or does summer seem to get shorter each year?  Maybe it's just going by faster. Either way, it always shocks me when school rolls back around.

I love having the kids home during the summer.  Hello fun trips and house cleaners all the time. But I also love the routine of having them in school too.

Our kids are going to a new school this year, and they have a little bit later start time this year.  Not a huge difference, but enough that we had to switch our gym time to an earlier slot.

I think I'm struggling with that more than the kids are struggling going back to school. Maybe a Dark Chocolate Latte every mid-morning to keep myself awake the rest of the day is a good idea! 

Even though the kids are in school and I already shoved a pumpkin recipe on you yesterday, I'm going back to my beloved zucchini.

I hope you guys are just as crazy about this versatile green veggie because I have a couple more dinners and treats to share with you. This Summer Zucchini Salad has been on repeat all week long.

Of course, I couldn't let the summer go by without chocolate coating some of the greens for you. Ever since I made (and devoured) this Chocolate Zucchini Cake and these Zucchini Brownies, I can't get enough of zucchini in my chocolate goodies. It's so yummy!

But this time we are making a breakfast muffin with a cheesecake center. Any time we can make cheesecake AND chocolate and call it breakfast is a major win in my book.

These Carrot Cheesecake Muffins from a while ago were my inspiration for today's chocolate muffins. Changing out the shredded carrots for shredded zucchini and then adding some cocoa powder and chocolate chips just seemed like a good idea.

Boy was I right!!!

After waiting impatiently for the first batch to cool, I finally sunk my teeth into a few zucchini muffins and am happy to report that this muffin makeover was a huge success.

Soft fluffy chocolate muffins, melty chocolate chips, and a creamy cheesecake center will have you reaching for another chocolate zucchini cream cheese muffin stat.

Trust me and run to the Farmer's Market (or your garden) and pick up some more zucchinis because you need the best chocolate muffin in your life like yesterday!

Tips for making Chocolate Zucchini Cream Cheese Muffins:

1. Shred your zucchini using the fine side of a hand grater. Most of the time you will not need to squeeze the extra water out of the zucchini.  But if your zucchini is extra juicy, I would give it a quick squeeze over the sink before adding it to the batter.
2. Mix together the oil, sugars, vanilla, and eggs in a large bowl.
3. Stir together the dry ingredients and add that alternately with the buttermilk until everything is mixed together.
4. Stir in the zucchini and some mini chocolate chips gently.
5. Spoon the batter evenly into 18 greased muffin pan cavities.
6. Mix together your cheesecake filling and spoon half of it into a ziplock baggie. Cut one tip off and sink it into the center of each muffin.
7. Squeeze the cheesecake into the center of each muffin. Refill your baggie with the rest of the cheesecake and add a swirl of cheesecake to the top of each muffin.
8. Sprinkle the edges of the muffins with the rest of the mini chocolate chips before baking them. This just makes these chocolate zucchini muffins look like bakery style muffins.

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More chocolate zucchini recipes:

• Chocolate Zucchini Donuts - soft baked donuts loaded with three kinds of chocolate and shredded zucchini are a delicious way to do breakfast
• Dark Chocolate Zucchini Bread - two times the chocolate will hide the fact that this bread is loaded with a healthy veggie
• Double Chocolate Zucchini Muffins - chocolate and toffee bits will get anyone to add more greens to their breakfast routine
• Chocolate Zucchini Doughnut Muffins from Crazy for Crust - the sweet cinnamon sugar coating on these little bites make them so delicious

Chocolate Zucchini Cream Cheese Muffins Recipe

Yield: 18 muffins

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Chocolate Zucchini Cheesecake Muffins and a cup of milk is the perfect way to start out the day. Chocolate and cheesecake for breakfast always gets my vote.

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Ingredients

For the Muffins

• ⅔ cup canola oil
• ½ cup packed brown sugar
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• ¼ cup dark cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup buttermilk
• 1 cup finely shredded zucchini (only squeeze if extra watery) ( 1 ½ medium)
• 1 cup mini chocolate chips, divided

For the Filling

• 1 - 8 ounce package cream cheese, softened
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon all purpose flour

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Spray 18 muffin tin cavities with non stick baking spray.
2. Beat the oil, sugars, vanilla, and eggs.
3. Stir together the dry ingredients. Slowly add this mixture alternately with the buttermilk to the wet ingredients. Mix until everything is incorporated.
4. Stir in ½ cup mini chocolate chips and shredded zucchini gently. Spoon the batter evenly in the prepared muffin tins.
5. Mix together the cheesecake filling in a bowl. Spoon half the mixture into a ziplock baggie and cut one tip off. Insert the tip into the center of the muffin batter and squeeze gently. Fill each muffin this way until the cheesecake filling is gone.
6. Refill the bag with the remaining filling and go back and add a swirl of cheesecake filling to the top of each muffin.
7. Sprinkle the sides of the muffin batter with the reserved chocolate chips.
8. Bake for 14-15 minutes. Remove and let the muffins cool in the pan for 2-3 minutes.
9. Gently remove the muffins and place the muffins on a wire rack to cool completely. Store in a tightly sealed container.

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Nutrition Information:

Yield: 18 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 274Total Fat: 16gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 34mgSodium: 219mgCarbohydrates: 30gFiber: 1gSugar: 17gProtein: 4g

Nutrition facts are an estimate and are not guaranteed to be accurate. If you need special diet advice, please see a registered dietician.

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