Zucchini Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
Extra soft oatmeal chocolate chip cookies with chewy centers and crisp edges, flavored with brown sugar and cinnamon — you cannot taste the shredded zucchini hiding inside.
Ingredients
- 1 cup (130g) shredded zucchini (lightly blotted, see step 1)
- 2 cups (170g) old-fashioned whole rolled oats
- 1 cup (125g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 cup (8 Tbsp; 113g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1/2 cup (100g) packed dark or light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 1 Tablespoon pure maple syrup
- 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup (180g) semi-sweet chocolate chips
Directions
- 1. Lightly blot the shredded zucchini with a clean kitchen towel or paper towel. No need to squeeze out all the moisture; gently blotting is plenty. You need 1 cup (130g) of shredded, lightly blotted zucchini. Set aside until step 4. (Or cover and refrigerate for up to 1 day. It can be cold when you add it to the dough.)
- 2. Whisk the oats, flour, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and cinnamon together in a medium bowl. Set aside.
- 3. Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat the softened butter and both sugars together on medium speed until creamy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg and mix on high until combined, about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Add the maple syrup and vanilla and mix on high until combined.
- 4. Add the dry ingredients and the zucchini to the wet ingredients, then mix on low speed until combined. With the mixer still running on low speed, beat in the chocolate chips. Cover and chill the dough in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours (and up to 4 days). If chilling for longer than a few hours, allow to sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before rolling and baking because the dough will be quite hard.
- 5. Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside.
- 6. Scoop or roll cookie dough, a heaping 1.5 Tablespoons of dough per cookie (a medium cookie scoop is ideal), and place 3 inches apart on the baking sheets. Bake for 13-14 minutes or until lightly browned on the sides. The centers will look very soft. For crispier edges, bake for 15 minutes.
- 7. Remove from the oven and allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. While the cookies are still warm, press a few more chocolate chips into the tops — this is only for looks! Cookies are extra soft out of the oven, but become chewier as they cool.
- 8. Cookies stay fresh covered at room temperature for up to 5 days or in the refrigerator for 1 week.
Notes
The recipe card is titled "Zucchini Chocolate Chip Cookies"; the post calls them zucchini oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. Yield is 2 dozen, and the 2 hr 15 min prep already covers the mandatory 2-hour chill (2 hr 35 min total).
Blot the zucchini — shred it on a box grater, then lightly blot with a clean kitchen or paper towel. No need to squeeze out all the moisture; gentle blotting is plenty. Too much liquid means excess spreading or a cakey cookie. Sally does not peel the zucchini first, but you can.
Oats: old-fashioned whole rolled oats, not quick or instant — whole oats give the hearty, chewy, thick texture.
Maple syrup: adds flavor, but it also helps the cookies spread and crisps up the edges. Honey works instead, or molasses for a stronger flavor, or leave it out — though Sally highly recommends it.
Room temperature butter is imperative for the creaming step: cool to the touch, about 65°F (18°C), which may be colder than your kitchen. Butter that is too cold or even slightly melted will not aerate with the sugars, and the cookies will over-spread.
Other add-ins: milk or white chocolate chips, mini chips or chunks, peanut butter or butterscotch chips, raisins, chopped pecans or walnuts — or half chocolate chips and half raisins.
Make ahead and freezing: baked cookies freeze well up to three months, as do unbaked dough balls. Bake frozen dough balls an extra minute, no need to thaw.