Chocolate Zucchini Cakes

Tis the season for zukes!  I'm not a huge fan of them eaten just as a veggie and I tire of the traditional zucchini bread.  I found this recipe and subscribing to Stacy's theory, everything is better with chocolate!  They taste a bit like a brownie but must be much healthier since they have veggies in them (or so I told myself when I ate 2 for breakfast this morning).  Enjoy the recipe and hopefully I'll start posting a few more now that my 1st trimester aversion to food and cooking has passed.

Molly and me in the garden

Chocolate Zucchini Cakes (from The SoHo)

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup finely grated zucchini
3 tablespoons sour cream
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup (3 ounces) bittersweet chocolate, chopped or chocolate chips
nonstick cooking spray
24 walnut halves

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl, stir together butter, sugar, salt, and egg until combined. Add vanilla, zucchini, and sour cream and stir until incorporated. Sift flour and cocoa powder into bowl and stir until combined. Stir in chocolate. Spray mini muffin pans with cooking spray. Fill each cup with 2 tablespoons batter and top with a walnut. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center of a muffin comes out clean, 15 to 17 minutes. Let muffins cool slightly in pans on wire racks before serving. Makes 24.