Sticky Oatmeal Cookies Recipe With Zucchini & Chocolate (Bet You Can't Eat Just One) by Jan Mostrom

I’m always looking for a way to bring nutrition to a dessert without compromising any flavor. These wonderful oatmeal zucchini chocolate chip cookies are the perfect example of how to do that. These oatmeal cookies with zucchini and chocolate are a great snack or coffee break addition, and you won’t even need to tell the family about the extra nutrition packed into these delicious treats.

To make these sticky oatmeal cookies, you will need to gather the following ingredients: fresh zucchini, butter, rolled oats, dark brown sugar, granulated sugar, flour, ground cinnamon, baking powder, kosher salt, chocolate and optional flaky salt for the top. The cookie recipe bakes up in about 12 to 14 minutes, but does require some chilling time in the fridge. This cookie dough needs to be refrigerated for an hour before cooking because the dough is quite runny, but the wait will be worth it.

Grab one of these oatmeal chocolate chip cookies as a quick, sweet snack during the day, or serve them for dessert after dinner. You can't go wrong, and you even get the health benefits of zucchini in each bite.

Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 30 minutes plus time to chill the dough
Cook Time: 12 to 14 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour and 45 minutes (include chilling time)
Servings: 18 to 20

Ingredients

• 1 medium zucchini, grated (about 1 cup squeezed, shredded zucchini)
• 1 cup salted butter
• 1 1/4 cup rolled oats (can use gluten-free oats)
• 6 tablespoons dark brown sugar, packed
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour or gluten-free flour
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2/3 cup chopped dark chocolate or milk chocolate (or use chocolate chips)
• flaky salt, for topping (optional)

Recipe Notes

• If you plan on refrigerating the dough for more than one hour, I prefer to chill the dough in the bowl and not on cookie sheets. After an hour or two, use a cookie scoop to form the dough into balls. I then refrigerate some of the dough and freeze the rest in an airtight container to bake up to two weeks later.

• I used a gluten-free 1:1 flour in these cookies and they tasted great (my gluten-eating family didn’t even notice the difference). Oats are naturally gluten-free, but to be sure, use gluten-free oats, too. 

• Grate the medium zucchini using a box grater. Exact amounts vary based on the size of the zucchini, but in general, a medium (6-ounce) zucchini produces a generous 1 cup squeezed shredded zucchini.

Here's how to make it: 

1. Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat.
   
2. After the butter melts, add the oats and stir every now and then for about 5 minutes, or until the butter and oats turn dark brown. The butter will be a bit bubbly.
   
   
3. Put the grated zucchini into a mixing bowl.
   
4. Pour the oat mixture into the zucchini and mix. Let the mixture sit for 5 to 10 minutes, or until mixture is no longer hot. (If mixture is hot it will melt the chocolate chips.)
   
   
5. Add brown and granulated sugar to the zucchini mixture and blend with a spatula.
   
6. Add the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt and mix well. Don’t worry, the dough is very runny and that is expected.
   
7. Add the chocolate chips and blend.
   
8. Place a few tablespoons of dough on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Place the baking sheet in the refrigerator for 1 hour or up to 24 (see Recipe Notes). If you want to make more than 6 to 8 cookies, repeat the process on additional baking sheets as needed. Otherwise place the remainder of the dough in the fridge in an airtight container to bake later.
   
9. At about 50 minutes into the cooling time, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F and place the rack in the center of the oven. Remove baking sheet from the fridge and place in the oven cooking for 12 to 14 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from the oven, sprinkle with flaky sea salt, if desired, and let cool on the baking sheet for at least 10 minutes before removing to a plate or cooling rack. If you move them too soon they will break apart.
   
   
   

Recipe cooking times, nutritional information and servings are approximate and provided for your convenience. However, 30Seconds is not responsible for the outcome of any recipe, nor may you have the same results because of variations in ingredients, temperatures, altitude, errors, omissions or cooking/baking abilities. This recipe has been analyzed by HappyForks. However, any nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and it is up to the individual to ascertain accuracy. To ensure image quality, we may occasionally use stock photography.

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