Chocolate Chip Zucchini Cupcakes

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I do hope that after reading this post, you'll do as I say and not as I do. I was in a rush this morning and trying to get these cupcakes made before we had to leave for the day. I quickly assembled the ingredients and at the last minute discovered that I didn't have paper liners for my muffin pans. We all know what I should have done, but that didn't happen. Rather than dash to the store for the liners, I decided to grease the muffin cups and let it go at that. Big mistake! Half of the cupcakes clung tenaciously to the pan and those that did release looked like the had gone 9 rounds with a young Mohammed Ali. Normally, I would have scrapped the batch, but I started to nibble at the crumbs and they were so delicious I couldn't bear to throw the cupcakes out. These are really good and I know you will enjoy them - if you can get them out of the pan. They are nearly effortless to make and the cupcakes are moist and delicious. Be forewarned that the batter for the muffins will be dense and fudge-like until the zucchini is worked into it. The moisture in the zucchini loosens the batter and makes it more malleable. Be sure to line your pans with paper liners and then spray the liners with a nonstick spray. The muffins are worth the aggravation. I will be making these again. The recipe, which came from Gourmet magazine, appears below.


Chocolate-Chip Zucchini Cupcakes...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Gourmet magazine

Ingredients:
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoon sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 pound zucchini, coarsely grated (1 cup)
1 (6-ounces) package semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle.
2) Whisk together flour, cocoa, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
3) Beat together sugar, oil, egg, and vanilla in a large bowl with an electric mixer until thick and creamy, 2 to 3 minutes.
4) At low speed, mix in flour mixture until just incorporated. Stir in zucchini and chocolate chips.
5) Divide batter among lined muffin cups and bake until tops spring back when lightly pressed, 30 to 35 minutes. Cool in pan 5 minutes, then turn out to cool completely. Yield: 12 servings.

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