Zucchini chocolate chip cookies: the ever-perfect combination of the much-beloved zucchini bread and oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. Made with fresh shredded zucchini, oatmeal, chocolate chips, and other easy-to-find pantry staples, these cookies are a homestyle dessert recipe everyone will adore. They are the perfect way to use up and feature zucchini, but there’s no need to worry about any unpleasant vegetal flavor: the mild-flavored green squash is so neutral that you can’t even taste it in the cookies.
Though this zucchini cookie recipe is one that will make any late summer baking repertoire complete, they are also a fantastic option any time of year that zucchini is available. Bring these chewy, soft cookies to a bake sale, potluck, or even back-to-school night for enthusiastic reviews. If you love baking recipes that use zucchini, then check out my homemade zucchini muffins, classic zucchini bread, or chocolate zucchini bread recipe.
What You Need to Make This Recipe
Zucchini – choose fresh zucchini that are smaller and dense for their size and have smooth, dark green skin. If possible, avoid using overgrown or extra-large zucchini, as they can have a woody flavor and an undesirable texture.
Butter – brought to room temperature so it whips up well to create a fluffy dough. Additionally, use unsalted butter if possible, as different brands of butter add differing amounts of salt to salted butter. If needed, you can use salted butter, but reduce the additional salt in the recipe to ¼ teaspoon.
Old-Fashioned Oatmeal – also known as rolled oats, this type of oatmeal is not fully processed to remove all of the bran, leaving it with a nuttier flavor and chewy texture. Do not substitute quick oats or steel-cut oats for the rolled oats, as they will not work in this recipe.
Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips – complete the cookie recipe with notes of rich and sweet chocolate. If desired, add your own spin to these cookies by substituting in semi-sweet chocolate chunks, dark chocolate chips, or white chocolate chips.
Brown Sugar – packed tightly in the measuring cup to measure. Light brown sugar is my favorite for these cookies, but you can use dark brown sugar for deeper caramelized molasses notes.
Vanilla Extract – for the best flavor, use pure vanilla extract.
How to Make Zucchini Cookies
1. Wrap the zucchini in a double layer of paper towels and squeeze firmly to remove the excess liquid. Set aside.
2. Whisk the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl.
3. In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla extract and beat until combined and fluffy, about 1 minute.
4. Gradually beat the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just combined.
5. Stir the shredded zucchini, oats, and chocolate chips in until well combined. Cover and chill the dough for at least 2 hours or up to 2 days.
6. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Scoop 1½ tablespoon-size balls of cookie dough onto the prepared cookie sheets, spacing the balls at least 2 inches apart. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes, or until the cookies are lightly browned on the edges. Let the cookies cool on the cookie sheets for 2 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Continue scooping and baking the remaining cookie dough as directed.
Pro Tips For Making This Recipe
- Grate the zucchini using a box grater or hand-held vegetable grater. Most food processor graters produce zucchini shreds that are too long and thick for these cookies.
- Chill the cookie dough. The high moisture content of the grated zucchini needs to be absorbed into the cookie dough, and the butter will firm up again during the chilling process. If baked without chilling, the cookies will spread too much in the oven. Chill the dough covered for at least 2 hours or for up to 2 days.
- Change up the mix-ins. Semi-sweet chocolate chips give these easy zucchini cookies a comforting old-fashioned cookie feel, but you can also experiment with other mix-ins. Raisins, dried cranberries, white chocolate chips, chopped walnuts, slivered almonds, or cinnamon chips are all delicious options.
Frequently Asked Questions
Store the zucchini cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days. The cookies can also be frozen in a freezer bag or other freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Defrost the cookies at room temperature for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until thawed through.
Zucchini cookie dough is perfect for freezing! After chilling the dough in the refrigerator, scoop the dough onto a parchment-lined rimmed cookie, leaving at least 1 inch of space between them. Freeze the sheets of cookie dough balls for 4 to 8 hours or until the balls are frozen through. Move the frozen dough balls to a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 3 months. Bake cookie dough balls from frozen for 1 to 2 extra minutes. If you thaw them before baking, make sure they are still cold and stored in the fridge. Baking the dough from room temperature may cause them to spread too much, creating thin cookies with overly browned edges.
Yes, you can certainly use frozen shredded zucchini in this recipe. Thaw the frozen zucchini in a mesh strainer over a bowl or the sink until completely defrosted, allowing the excess liquid drain to into the bowl or sink. Squeeze the remaining moisture out of the zucchini and continue with the recipe as directed.
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Zucchini Cookies
Equipment
- Large baking sheet
Ingredients
- 1¼ cups grated zucchini about half a pound/250g
- 1 cup all-purpose flour (120g)
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened (113g)
- ⅔ cup packed light brown sugar (147g)
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar (66g)
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup rolled oats (112g)
- ¾ cup semisweet chocolate chips (135g)
Instructions
- Wrap the zucchini in a double layer of paper towels and squeeze to remove moisture. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt.
- In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla extract, and beat until well combined and fluffy, about 1 minute. Gradually beat in flour mixture until just incorporated.
- Stir in the zucchini, oats, and chocolate just until evenly combined. Cover and chill the dough for at least 2 hours or up to 2 days.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Scoop 1½ tablespoon balls of dough onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing at least 2 inches apart. Chill the remaining dough.
- Bake for 12 to 14 minutes or until the cookies are lightly browned on the edges. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for 2 minutes. Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely. Continue rolling and baking with the remaining dough.
Notes
- Grate the zucchini using a box grater or hand-held vegetable grater. Most food processor graters produce zucchini shreds that are too long and thick for these cookies.
- Chill the cookie dough. The high moisture content of the grated zucchini needs to be absorbed into the cookie dough, and the butter will firm up again during the chilling process. If baked without chilling, the cookies will spread too much in the oven. Chill the dough covered for at least 2 hours or for up to 2 days.
- Change up the mix-ins. Semi-sweet chocolate chips give these easy zucchini cookies a comforting old-fashioned cookie feel, but you can also experiment with other mix-ins. Raisins, dried cranberries, white chocolate chips, chopped walnuts, slivered almonds, or cinnamon chips are all delicious options.
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