Zucchini Oat Bran Chocolate Chip Muffins

You are going to love these zucchini oat bran chocolate chip muffins because they are packed with a hearty oat flavor and just a hint of sweetness!

I hope everyone had a fantastic holiday season filled with love, laughter, great food and lots and lots of cookies and treats!

On one hand, all the sweets and indulgent food have made my mouth very happy, but on the other hand I am just craving one big, healthy salad.  So as we roll into the new year, I want to bring you another healthier muffin.  It's time to pull out that zucchini you froze at the end of summer and make these zucchini oat bran chocolate chip muffins.

Muffins have not always been my favorite as a breakfast choice.  I think it's because my experience has typically been a very sweet, cake like muffin.  Essentially a cupcake masquerading as something healthy.  As you have come to know about me, I love a good sweet treat!  But when it comes to breakfast, I want something hearty and healthy, something that is going to start my day on the right path.  Something that will fill me up. These zucchini oat bran chocolate chip muffins do exactly that!

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Earlier this summer, Sally, of Sally's Baking Addiction, published a recipe for blueberry oatmeal muffins that has forever changed my outlook on muffins.  Ever since slightly adapting her recipe to make my whole wheat blueberry oat muffins, I have been obsessed with making muffins with oats.  So when our friend shared some of her garden grown zucchini with us this summer, I knew I wanted to make a variation on the zucchini muffin.

These muffins are packed with oats, bran and zucchini and sweetened with just a small amount of chocolate chips.  When we tested the first batch, Mr. Two Sugar Bugs stated, "I'd like them with more chocolate chips", while I felt like they were perfect with just a surprise bite of chocolate here and there.  The two little bugs both proclaimed them delicious and even little e, who is doing her darndest to make me crazy with food right now, gobbled them up.  That makes them a winner in my book!

For the original recipe, I used ⅓ cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips.  If you want a sweeter muffin, you can increase the chocolate chips to ½ cup and you could certainly use milk chocolate chips, if that is your preference.  I highly recommend using your salad spinner to drain the moisture from your shredded zucchini.  I stumbled upon this trick when making my blueberry zucchini bread and cannot imagine using any other method to extract the moisture from zucchini, the salad spinner makes it too darn easy!

If you are looking for a way to pack some wholesome goodness to your breakfast routine, I hope you will make these zucchini oat bran chocolate chip muffins.  They come together quickly, are hearty and filling and freeze wonderfully for an easy breakfast on a busy morning!

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Zucchini Chocolate Chip Oat Bran Muffins

You are going to love these zucchini oat bran chocolate chip muffins because they are packed with a hearty oat flavor and just a hint of sweetness!

Servings 12 muffins

Author Tasia ~ twosugarbugs

Ingredients

• ½ cup old-fashioned oats
• 1 cup unsweetened almond milk any milk can work
• ½ cup wheat bran I like Bob’s Red Mill
• 1 ½ cups whole-wheat flour I like King Arthur's White Whole Wheat Flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 cups zucchini shredded and most of the moisture squeezed out
• ⅓ cup brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons butter melted and slightly cooled
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• ⅓ cup chocolate chips use ½ cup if you want more sweetness

Instructions

• Combine the oats with the milk and set aside for 20 minutes so the oats can soak up some of the moisture.* Don’t go longer than 30 minutes with this step! Old-fashioned oats work best. Instant or quick oats are too small and will dissolve as the muffins cook.
• Preheat oven to 425°F and line your muffin pan with paper liners or coat with non-stick spray.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the wheat bran, whole-wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside. In another bowl, combine the zucchini, brown sugar, cooled melted butter, vanilla extract and eggs. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir a few times before adding the soaked oats and milk mixture. Gently combine, then add chocolate chips and gently mix it all together.
• Spoon batter into muffin wells (I like to use an ice cream or cookie scoop), filling them up to the top. Bake for 5 minutes at 425°F, then turn the oven down to 350°F* (keeping muffins in the oven the whole time) and bake another 12-14 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the muffin comes out clean.
• Allow muffins to cool about 5 minutes in the pan and then transfer to a wire rack to cool further. Muffins will stay fresh covered at room temperature for a couple days, then transfer to the refrigerator for up to one week. They also freeze well.

Notes

*This method learned from Sally at Sally’s Baking Addiction

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Recipe shared with Full Plate Thursday , Meal Plan Monday and Weekend Potluck