Name: Chocolate Chocolate Chip Zucchini Muffins with Buckwheat Streusel Topping
Yield: 22 -24 muffins
Ingredients: Muffins:; 3 eggs; 1 cup oil or applesauce; 1 ½ cup sugar (I use evaporated cane juice- you can buy it here .); 1 Tablespoon vanilla; 2 ½ cup zucchini, shredded; 2 1/2 cup flour (I always use half unbleached all-purpose and half whole wheat flour); 1/2 cup cocoa powder; 1 teaspoon salt; 1/4 teaspoon baking powder; 1 teaspoon baking soda; 1 cup chocolate chips; Streusel Topping:; ¼ cup sugar; ½ cup buckwheat groats (Find them here .); 1 Tablespoon soft butter

It’s about that time of the year.

If you’ve been gardening for more than one year, you know what I’m talking about. If this is your first year, run out to your garden and check, there’s a pretty good chance now that the leaves on your summer squash are starting to die back that you’re going to find a monster zucchini that you have no clue how you missed it all the times you checked.

It’s such a waste too, because there’s very little you can do with that bad boy, outside of saving it for seed. Most of it is a hollow seed-filled core, much like a tubular pumpkin. No good for most of the zucchini recipes that you’ve been enjoying all summer. Unless you count zucchini boats, which I don’t cause I always eat the filling and nibble at the zucchini. I think they’re pretty bland that way.

It’s these monsters that I love to use for freezing shredded or better yet for quick breads. In fact, if I’m not short on time during harvest season (ha!), I’d much rather just go ahead and make the quick bread and freeze it now and have a handy, homegrown, scratch-baked, grab-n-thaw breakfast when I need one the rest of the year.

As much as I love my standard Zucchini Bread recipe, this recipe for Chocolate Chocolate-Chip Zucchini Muffins with Buckwheat Streusel Topping freezes so much better. It lasts most of the year in a standard freezer bag before there is any hint of freezer flavor beginning to permeate the muffin.

You’d think the whole “chocolate-chocolate chip” part would be the attention getter in my home, but it’s not. It’s when I warm and thickly butter the muffins that have the buckwheat streusel topping on them that gets them squealing with delight. Sweet and buttery crunchy, one bite and you’ll understand why. It’s so cRaZy delicious I can almost guarantee you’ll love it too and be wanting to sprinkle a bit on every muffin recipe in your family cookbook from now on.

Give them a try and see if I’m not right.

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Zucchini Muffins with Buckwheat Streusel Topping

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Zucchini Muffins with Buckwheat Streusel Topping

Author Reformation Acres

Yield 22 -24 muffins

Ingredients

Muffins:
3 eggs
1 cup oil or applesauce
1 ½ cup sugar (I use evaporated cane juice- you can buy it here.)
1 Tablespoon vanilla
2 ½ cup zucchini, shredded
2 1/2 cup flour (I always use half unbleached all-purpose and half whole wheat flour)
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup chocolate chips
Streusel Topping:
¼ cup sugar
½ cup buckwheat groats (Find them here.)
1 Tablespoon soft butter

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350.
Prepare 2 muffin tins with a brush of oil, smear of soft butter, or cupcake papers.
In a mixing bowl, beat the eggs, oil, sugar, and vanilla.
Stir in zucchini.
Whisk the flour(s), cocoa powder, salt, baking powder, and baking soda together in a separate bowl. Add it to the zucchini mixture, mixing well.
Divide the batter among the muffin tins, filling each about ⅔ of the way full.
To make the streusel topping, measure the sugar, buckwheat, and butter together in a small bowl and work them between your fingertips until they are fully combined.
Sprinkle a little streusel over each muffin.
Bake the muffins for 18-21 minutes (or in a loaf pan for 1 hour.) Lightly press the center of a muffin (or the loaf to test for doneness. If it doesn't leave an indentation, they're ready to come out.