Zucchini Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies (WFPB)
If you’re like me, it’s almost time to plant zucchini again, but you still have frozen zucchini from last summer hogging your freezer’s real estate. Let’s use it up, cookie style!
These cookies have simple, minimal ingredients. And yet, they are so yummy! How can oats, zucchini, and coconut be…..like, addicting?! Maple syrup and chocolate chips, baby. They make the zucchini go riiiiiight down.
And yet, I still think these cookies are rather wholesome. In-tact whole grains (like the rolled oats used here), as opposed to ground-up flours, are absorbed more slowly, and thus raise blood sugar slower. They have fewer calories than ground up flour because they are bulkier.
Since you’re unlikely to grab frozen zucchini out of the freezer for a snack, batch-bake these cookies and pull them out of the freezer for lunchbox treats, hiking snacks or dessert for your next picnic.
And if you don’t have any zucchini in your freezer or your garden, just pick up a zucchini at the store next time you go, so you can try these. You won’t regret it.
Other zucchini recipes:
Zucchini Muffins (low fat and delicious!)
Zucchini Lemon Pancakes with Blueberry Syrup
So wholesome, yet so yummy! Great way to use fresh or frozen zucchini.
- 1 cup packed grated zucchini (see notes on using frozen)
- 1/2 cup almond butter or sun butter
- 1/2 cup pure maple syrup (or 1/2 cup sugar + 1/4 cup water)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 cups rolled oats (or oat flour or whole wheat flour)
- 3/4 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
- 1/2 cup dairy-free dark chocolate chips
- 1.5 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
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Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
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Stir the zucchini, almond butter, maple syrup, and vanilla together in a large bowl. No need to squeeze the moisure out of the zucchini if it's fresh. If it's thawed from frozen, just drain the excess water.
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Add the dry ingredients and stir well.
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Drop by heaping tablespoons or use a cookie scoop to from cookies onto baking sheet. Makes 25-30 cookies, depending on size (and how much batter you eat).
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Bake for 13-16 minutes. They will seem slightly soft, but as they cool completely they will set up perfectly.
Enjoy with a glass of cold almond milk. Keep leftovers in an air-tight container in the fridge or freezer.
If using frozen grated zucchini, let it thaw completely on the counter or microwave. Pack a measuring cup with it, and slightly drain the water. It's not necessary to squeeze all the moisture out, since the zucchini is practically the only liquid in the cookie dough.
Inspired by the Superfoods for Superkids cookbook by Noelle Martin.
As soon as I saw this recipe, I knew I had to try it. I love it when vegetables are a part of anything! These turned out great. I reduced the maple syrup by a couple of tablespoons because my taste buds have adjusted to less-sweet things. It’s almost like a granola cookie, with the rolled outs and coconut. It’s a cookie you can feel good about eating.
Wonderful!!! So delicious and simple! Thanks, Faith!!!