These healthy Healthy Chocolate Chip Zucchini Drop Cookies may not be the prettiest cookies around, but they definitely make up for their looks in taste! The cinnamon, brown sugar, milk chocolate, and zucchini are a perfect blend of flavors, culminating in the ultimate soft cookie that's cake-like in texture.
And these shredded zucchini chocolate chip cookies have veggies in them so you also get health benefits from your cookies. How fantastic is that?! I always feel so much better about eating cookies when I know they have veggies in them. It's so much better than simply eating a regular chocolate chip cookie! So if you're looking for zucchini drop cookies that are healthy, you'll love these. Zucchini cookies are especially popular at this time of the year (late summer) during zucchini season!
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Why you'll love this recipe
- Uses up zucchini. This recipe uses up 2 whole cups of grated zucchini!
- Texture: these zucchini cookies have a unique cake-like texture with bursts of warm, gooey, and melty chocolate chips.
- Big batch or small batch. This recipe makes a lot of cookies (50)! and they freeze well. But you can make smaller or bigger batches by clicking on the serving size.
- Hidden veggies. If you have a toddler or kids that you have a hard time getting to eat veggies, this Zucchini Cookies Recipe is great for getting kids to eat their vegetables, in a sneaky way!
- Pantry ingredients. These zucchini drop cookies are made with simple pantry ingredients you're likely to have on hand.
- Snack or dessert. They make a great dessert or snack to pack along in the lunch bag, and an excellent after-school snack.
And if you are looking for even more recipes for healthy cookies with hidden vegetables be sure to try my other recipes: Zucchini Biscotti, Healthy Red Velvet Cookies (with beets) or my award-winning Healthy Chocolate Chip Spinach Cookies!
🥘 Ingredient Notes
I have not only been making these delicious soft cookies for years, I've been meaning to post them for years! They are so easy and tasty and are a great way to use up extra zucchini. One can only make zucchini bread so many times, right?
- Butter. I use unsalted, but you could use salted butter and skip the salt in the recipe. Butter contributes milk solids and water to a cookie, both of which soften it.
- Brown sugar. I prefer light brown sugar, but I have used dark brown sugar as well. If you prefer a bolder molasses flavor, then use the dark brown sugar. Brown sugar contributes molasses -a softener.
- Grated zucchini. Grated zucchini adds nutrients (vitamins and minerals), while adding minimal fat and calories. It also adds moisture and volume.
- All-purpose Flour & Whole wheat flour. I use half whole wheat flour and half all-purpose, making them a healthier cookie, with a greater depth of flavor.
- Cinnamon. The cinnamon totally elevates the flavor of this cookie!
- Milk chocolate chips. I love to use milk chocolate chips in my chocolate chip cookies with zucchini, but you could use semi-sweet chocolate chips instead. They add sweetness to the recipe.
*Please see recipe card for full list of ingredients and quantities
🔪Step-by-Step: How to Make Healthy Zucchini Chocolate Chip Cookies
PREP: Preheat oven to 370 degrees F/185 degrees C. Do NOT grease the cookie sheet.
STEP 1: In a large bowl, blend dry ingredients (flours, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon)
- Step 2: Cream butter and brown sugar in a large mixing bowl. Then in a small bowl, whisk zucchini and eggs together with vanilla. Mix together.
- Step 3: Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients.
- Step 4: Mix well.
- Step 5: Then fold in the chocolate chips.
- Step 6: Drop a level tablespoon of cookie dough onto UNGREASED cookie sheet (or line with parchment paper) for each cookie. Bake 10-12 minutes until lightly browned on the bottom.
- Step 7: Let sit 5 minutes, then remove to wire rack and cool.
Expert Recipe Tips
- Don't peel your zucchini - The skin is tender and adds both color and nutrients. Grate it with the peel on for best results.
- Measure zucchini after draining - If using frozen zucchini, thaw and squeeze out excess moisture through a sieve or cheesecloth, then measure. Too much liquid can make the cookies soggy.
- Grate finely for even texture - A finer grate ensures the zucchini blends into the dough seamlessly, giving you a smooth, cake-like cookie without noticeable veggie chunks.
- Use room-temperature ingredients - Bringing your butter and eggs to room temp helps the dough come together smoothly and evenly.
- Don't overmix - Once the dry and wet ingredients are combined, stir just until no streaks of flour remain. Overmixing can make the cookies dense and tough.
- Line your baking sheet - Skip greasing (as it can cause spreading) and instead use parchment paper for easy release and even baking.
- Bake one tray at a time - If you can, bake cookies on the center rack, one sheet at a time. This helps them brown evenly and prevents underbaked centers. However, if you have a convection oven, more than one sheet can be baked at a time.
- Check early - Every oven is different, so start checking the bottoms of the cookies at 9 minutes. They're done when lightly golden underneath but still soft on top.
- Chocolate chip variations - Try half milk and half semi-sweet chocolate chips for a balanced flavor. White chocolate chips or butterscotch chips also pair beautifully with zucchini and cinnamon.
- Freeze the dough - Scoop portions of dough onto a baking sheet, freeze until solid, then transfer to a freezer bag. Bake straight from frozen, adding 1-2 minutes to the baking time.
🌡️Storing Zucchini Cookies
Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days (in the fridge).
Freezing: The bonus is that these zucchini cookies can be frozen (in an airtight container) or Ziplock freezer bag for up to 3 months too - I do it all the time. Full confession: these cookies also taste really great straight out of the freezer too (haha)!
Not only do I freeze these cookies, I also buy a lot of zucchini in the summer months, shred it in the food processor (you could use a cheese grater) bag it, and freeze it as well. You don't even have to peel it. That way I have zucchini all year 'round.
Top tip
IF you are using frozen zucchini for these zucchini chocolate cookies, you'll need to thaw, drain out excess moisture through a sieve (or you'll end up with too much liquid), and measure AFTER the excess liquid is squeezed out.
If I have some zucchini left in the freezer, I'll often use it as a healthy filler in my Hamburger Soup. And I love to make this Shredded Zucchini Feta Saute (shown below), Chocolate Zucchini Muffins, and Zucchini Crisp recipe with shredded zucchini when I have an abundance of it. If you grow it in your garden (lucky you! ) and are looking for easy recipes, you'll love these!
Although, these Chocolate Chip Cookies with Zucchini are still my very favorite way to eat shredded zucchini. Of course they are -they have chocolate and they are healthy! You can't go wrong with that.
Health Benefits of Zucchini
This zucchini cookies recipe is full of nutrients because zucchini contains a variety of vitamins, minerals, and beneficial plant compounds. Not to mention that cooked zucchini is loaded with Vitamin A! Zucchini is also low in fat, carbs and sugar. You can read more about the health benefits of zucchini HERE.
👪 Serving size
This chocolate chip zucchini recipe will make 50 cookies, if you drop them by the level tablespoon. However, you can cut the recipe in half by clicking on the servings in the recipe card, and the ingredient amounts will adjust accordingly. You can also make a double batch of zucchini cookies and freeze them.
❔ Recipe FAQs
No-you don't need to peel zucchini for this recipe. The skin is tender, adds color and nutrients, and blends right into the cookies once grated.
Yes! Just make sure to thaw it completely, then squeeze out the excess liquid with a sieve or cheesecloth before measuring. If you skip this step, the cookies may turn out too wet and soggy.
Absolutely. Using a mix of all-purpose and whole wheat flour adds extra fiber and flavor, but if you only have all-purpose flour, the cookies will still work and taste great
So if you're on the hunt for soft, healthy, and delicious cookies and an abundance of zucchini, then give these Chocolate Chip Cookies with zucchini a try!
I am confident you will love these easy zucchini cookies, despite how they look! And if you're looking for more shredded zucchini recipes that are great for the lunch bag, give these healthy Zucchini Bars a try!
📋More Zucchini Recipes
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🍪 Chocolate Chip Zucchini Drop Cookie Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter
- 2 cups brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 cups grated zucchini *Do not peel zucchini - grate it with the skin on
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 2 cups whole wheat flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 cups milk chocolate chips * can substitute semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 370 degrees F/185 degrees C. Do NOT grease the cookie sheets.
- In medium bowl, blend dry ingredients (flours, salt, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon)
- Cream butter and brown sugar in a large mixing bowl. Then in a small bowl, whisk zucchini and eggs together with vanilla.
- Add the grated zucchini/egg mixture to the sugar/shortening.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix well.
- Then fold in the chocolate chips.
- Drop a level tablespoon of cookie dough onto UNGREASED cookie sheet (or line with parchment paper) for each cookie. Bake 10-12 minutes until lightly browned on the bottom.
- Let sit 5 minutes, then remove to wire rack and cool.
Notes
-
- Don't peel your zucchini - The skin is tender and adds both color and nutrients. Grate it with the peel on for best results.
-
- Measure zucchini after draining - If using frozen zucchini, thaw and squeeze out excess moisture through a sieve or cheesecloth, then measure. Too much liquid can make the cookies soggy.
-
- Grate finely for even texture - A finer grate ensures the zucchini blends into the dough seamlessly, giving you a smooth, cake-like cookie without noticeable veggie chunks.
-
- Use room-temperature ingredients - Bringing your butter and eggs to room temp helps the dough come together smoothly and evenly.
-
- Don't overmix - Once the dry and wet ingredients are combined, stir just until no streaks of flour remain. Overmixing can make the cookies dense and tough.
-
- Line your baking sheet - Skip greasing (as it can cause spreading) and instead use parchment paper for easy release and even baking.
-
- Bake one tray at a time - If you can, bake cookies on the center rack, one sheet at a time. This helps them brown evenly and prevents underbaked centers. However, if you have a convection oven, more than one sheet can be baked at a time.
-
- Check early - Every oven is different, so start checking the bottoms of the cookies at 9 minutes. They're done when lightly golden underneath but still soft on top.
-
- Chocolate chip variations - Try half milk and half semi-sweet chocolate chips for a balanced flavor. White chocolate chips or butterscotch chips also pair beautifully with zucchini and cinnamon.
-
- Freeze the dough - Scoop portions of dough onto a baking sheet, freeze until solid, then transfer to a freezer bag. Bake straight from frozen, adding 1-2 minutes to the baking time.
Terri Gilson says
I've been making these Chocolate Chip Zucchini Drop Cookies for years and they're always a hit! They might not be the prettiest, but they are full of flavor and sneaky nutrition. They're also a great way to use up all that extra summer zucchini.