Soft, chewy, and loaded with melty chocolate chips, these Zucchini Chocolate Chip Cookies have crisp edges, tender centers, and a hearty bite from old-fashioned oats that makes every single one feel worth the wait. The zucchini disappears completely into the dough, you'd never guess it was there, but it's doing all the heavy lifting behind the scenes keeping everything moist and soft for days. I first started making these during a summer when my garden was out of control with zucchini, and honestly I've never stopped. They come together with simple pantry ingredients.
If you love easy homestyle bakes like my Lemon Shortbread Cookies or Dutch Apple Pie, this recipe is going right into your regular rotation.
Why You'll Love These Zucchini Chocolate Chip Cookies
These best Zucchini Chocolate Chip Cookies check a lot of boxes, especially if you love a cookie with real texture and depth.
- The dough freezes perfectly, so you can scoop and freeze unbaked balls and bake fresh cookies whenever you want.
- The zucchini is completely undetectable in flavor - it just keeps the cookies moist and tender from the inside out.
- Old-fashioned oats give every bite a satisfying chew that plain flour cookies don't have.
- Maple syrup adds a warm, natural sweetness that pairs beautifully with the cinnamon and chocolate chips.
- They stay soft for days. Covered at room temperature, these are still good five days later, which is rare for homemade Zucchini Chocolate Chip Cookies.
Jump to:
- Why You'll Love These Zucchini Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Zucchini Chocolate Chip Cookies Ingredients
- How to Make Zucchini Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Easy Swaps and Substitutions
- Equipement For Zucchini Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Storing Your Zucchini Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Top Tip
- FAQ
- Related
- Pairing
- Zucchini Chocolate Chip Cookies
Zucchini Chocolate Chip Cookies Ingredients
Everything you need is simple and easy to find.
- Shredded zucchini : The hidden ingredient. Zucchini adds moisture and keeps the cookies soft and tender long after baking. Lightly blotting removes just enough surface moisture - you don't want to wring it dry.
- Old-fashioned whole rolled oats : These give the cookies their hearty, chewy texture. Old-fashioned oats work best here - quick oats will make the cookies too soft and dense.
- All-purpose flour : The structural base. Spooning and leveling ensures you don't pack in too much, which can make cookies dry and cakey.
- Baking soda : Helps the cookies spread and rise just enough for those crisp edges and soft middles.
- Salt : Balances the sweetness and makes every other flavor taste more like itself.
- Ground cinnamon : Adds warmth and depth. It's subtle but you'd notice if it were missing.
- Unsalted butter : Adds richness and creates that melt-in-your-mouth texture. Room temperature butter creams properly; cold butter won't.
- Dark or light brown sugar : Adds moisture and a subtle molasses warmth that makes these Zucchini Chocolate Chip Cookies taste cozy and complex.
- Granulated sugar : Balances the brown sugar and helps the edges crisp up just slightly.
- Large egg : Binds everything together and adds moisture. A room temperature egg blends more smoothly into the batter.
- Pure maple syrup : Just a touch of warm, natural sweetness that takes the flavor somewhere special.
- Pure vanilla extract : Rounds out all the flavors. Pure vanilla makes a real difference here.
- Semi-sweet chocolate chips : Melty pockets of chocolate in every bite. Semi-sweet is the sweet spot - not too sugary, not too dark.
How to Make Zucchini Chocolate Chip Cookies
Follow these steps and you'll have perfect Zucchini Chocolate Chip Cookies every time.
Blot the zucchini: Lightly blot the shredded zucchini with a clean kitchen towel or paper towel to remove excess moisture. You need 1 cup (130g) of lightly blotted zucchini. A gentle press is all it needs - don't wring it out completely. Set aside.
Mix dry ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together the oats, flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon until evenly combined. Set aside. The kitchen will already start smelling like cinnamon at this point.
Cream butter and sugars: Using a hand or stand mixer, beat the softened butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar together on medium speed for about 3 minutes until creamy and light. Add the egg and mix on high until combined, about 1 minute. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Add the maple syrup and vanilla extract, then mix again on high until fully incorporated.
Combine wet and dry: Add the dry ingredients and the zucchini to the wet ingredients, mixing on low speed until just combined. With the mixer still running on low, fold in the chocolate chips. Once everything comes together, stop mixing.
Chill the dough: Cover and chill the dough in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours, up to 4 days. This step is important - it helps the flavors develop and keeps the cookies from spreading too thin. If the dough chills longer than a few hours, let it sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before scooping.
Preheat the oven: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
Form the cookies: Scoop out heaping 1.5 tablespoons of dough per cookie and place them 3 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. They need that room to spread.
Bake: Bake for 13-14 minutes, or until the sides are lightly browned. For crispier edges, bake for 15 minutes. The centers should still look slightly soft when you pull them out - they'll firm up as they rest.
Cool: Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Waiting is hard. Worth it.
Easy Swaps and Substitutions
Butter: Melted coconut oil or vegan butter both work. The texture will be slightly different but still good.
Brown sugar: All granulated sugar works in a pinch, but you'll lose some of that warm, caramel-y depth.
Maple syrup: Honey is a solid swap. The flavor changes a little but still adds nice natural sweetness.
All-purpose flour: A 1:1 gluten-free flour blend works for gluten free zucchini chocolate chip cookies. Texture may be slightly more crumbly.
Chocolate chips: Dark chocolate, milk chocolate, or white chocolate all work here. Mix a couple kinds if you want.
Egg: A flax egg (1 tablespoon ground flaxseed plus 3 tablespoons water, rested for 5 minutes) is a decent egg-free substitute.
Equipement For Zucchini Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Box grater
- Glass mixing bowl
- Whisk
- Hand or stand mixer with paddle attachment
- Baking sheets
- Silicone baking mats or parchment paper
- Medium cookie scoop (heaping 1.5 tablespoon size)
- Cooling rack
Storing Your Zucchini Chocolate Chip Cookies
Room temperature: Covered in an airtight container, these stay soft and fresh for up to 5 days.
Refrigerator: They'll keep for up to 1 week in the fridge. Let them come to room temperature before eating, or warm one in the microwave for about 10 seconds.
Freezer - baked: Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature for about an hour or microwave for 20-30 seconds.
Freezer - unbaked dough balls: Scoop the dough onto a baking sheet, freeze until solid, then transfer to a freezer bag. Bake straight from frozen and add about 1 extra minute to the bake time. No thawing needed.
Top Tip
Don't skip the chill time. Two hours minimum. The cold dough holds its shape better in the oven and gives you thicker, chewier cookies with better flavor.
Lightly blot, don't wring. You want to remove excess surface moisture from the zucchini, but leaving some in is what keeps the Zucchini Chocolate Chip Cookies moist for days.
Spoon and level the flour. Scooping directly from the bag packs in too much flour. Spoon it into your measuring cup, then level the top off.
Use room temperature butter and egg. Cold butter won't cream properly. Cold eggs can make the batter look curdled. Take both out 30-45 minutes before you start.
Pull them when they look underdone. Soft centers when they come out of the oven is exactly what you want. They'll finish setting on the hot pan during those 5 minutes of resting time.
Use a cookie scoop. Consistent size means consistent baking. Hand-rolled dough balls tend to bake unevenly.
FAQ
What is the trick to making the best Zucchini Chocolate Chip Cookies?
Chilling the dough is the single biggest game-changer. It prevents over-spreading, deepens the flavor, and gives you that thick, chewy texture. On top of that: room temperature ingredients, not overmixing, and pulling them out when the centers still look a little underdone. For this recipe specifically, the maple syrup and brown sugar together are a big part of what keeps them soft.
What is the secret ingredient for great cookies?
In these? The maple syrup. It's just one tablespoon but it adds a warmth that you can't quite name but would definitely miss. The other secret is the shredded zucchini - it keeps these Zucchini Chocolate Chip Cookies moist in a way that regular cookies just don't stay after a day or two.
What is the secret to making cookies soft and chewy?
Three things work together here: brown sugar instead of only white (brown sugar holds more moisture), not overbaking (soft centers when they come out is the goal), and the zucchini in this recipe doing its job quietly in the background. Storing them in an airtight container helps too.
What happens if I add an extra egg to my chocolate chip cookie dough?
An extra whole egg makes cookies cakier and puffier. Some bakers add an extra yolk only - no white - to get richer, chewier Zucchini Chocolate Chip Cookies without the cakey lift. For this recipe, stick with the one egg as written. Between the oats, zucchini, and maple syrup, the texture is already exactly where you want it.
Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Pairing
These are my favorite dishes to serve with Zucchini Chocolate Chip Cookies
Zucchini Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup 130g shredded zucchini lightly blotted see instructions
- 2 cups 170g old-fashioned whole rolled oats do not use quick oats
- 1 cup 125g all-purpose flour spooned & leveled
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ cup 113g unsalted butter softened to room temperature
- ½ cup 100g dark or light brown sugar packed
- ½ cup 100g granulated sugar
- 1 large egg at room temperature
- 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup adds flavor and crispness
- 1and ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup 180g semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Lightly blot the shredded zucchini with a clean kitchen towel or paper towel. No need to squeeze out all the moisture, just gently blot. Set aside.
- Whisk the oats, flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon together in a medium bowl. Set aside.
- Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the softened butter and both sugars on medium speed until creamy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg and beat on high until combined, about 1 minute. Scrape the bowl as needed. Add maple syrup and vanilla and mix until combined.
- Add the dry ingredients and zucchini to the wet mixture, then mix on low speed until just combined. Fold in the chocolate chips on low speed. Cover and chill the dough for at least 2 hours (up to 4 days).
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats. Scoop 1.5 tablespoons of dough for each cookie and place 3 inches apart on the prepared sheets. Bake for 13-14 minutes or until the edges are lightly browned. The centers will be soft. For crispier edges, bake for 15 minutes.
- Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
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