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I perfected this Chocolate Zucchini Cookies recipe years ago when my sweet friend Jenn gave me more zucchini than I knew what to do with. I was determined not to let it go to waste, so I got creative—and this cookie was the delicious result. It was one of those happy kitchen accidents that quickly turned into a family favorite and now it can be yours.
These zucchini cookies start with a chocolate cake mix, which is one of my favorite shortcut ingredients. It gives the cookies a rich, fudgy base with hardly any effort, and when you mix in a generous handful of chocolate chips, they become extra gooey and irresistible. A pinch of cinnamon adds just the right warmth to balance all that chocolatey goodness.
Now, even when zucchini isn’t in season, I find myself picking up a few just so I can make these cookies, this Chocolate Zucchini Bread and some Zucchini Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting. This cookie is soft and packed with little flecks of zucchini that melt right into the dough. No one ever guesses there’s a vegetable in them—and honestly, they disappear way too fast to explain it anyway!
Ingredients Needed
- Chocolate Cake Mix: My favorite time-saving ingredient and the perfect base for this chocolate-forward cookie. If you’ve never tried it before, you’re going to love chocolate cake mix cookies!
- All Purpose Flour: This is added to the cookie dough to help hold the shape of the cookies, especially when considering the extra moisture you get from zucchini.
- Cinnamon: Adding a touch of cinnamon to the cookie dough elevates these cookies and pairs perfectly with the shredded zucchini.
- Fresh Zucchini: Whether you purchase it from the grocery store or have some from your garden, this recipe is the perfect way to use it. I like to use a box grater to get finely shredded zucchini.
See recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to make Chocolate Zucchini Cookies
Whisk together the chocolate cake mix, flour, and cinnamon in a large bowl. Then add the eggs, oil, and grated zucchini to the dry ingredients. I like to use a hand held mixer for the dough but you definitely mix this recipe by hand.
Add the chocolate chips to the cookie dough and stir them in by hand until they are evenly distributed.
Use a medium cookie scoop to scoop the cookie dough onto a silicone mat {or parchment} lined baking sheet. I like to add a few additional chocolate chips to the top of the cookies.
Bake the chocolate cookies with zucchini for 8-10 minutes in a preheated 350 degree oven. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before moving to a wire rack.
Variations
Cake Mix- Try using a white, vanilla or yellow cake mix to make these moist zucchini cookies.
Butter- Replace the vegetable oil with the same amount of melted butter in this recipe, just like I have done in this Churro Cookie recipe.
Chocolate Chips- I love to use milk chocolate chips but you can use white chocolate chips or a combination of chocolate chips to get a double chocolate zucchini cookies recipe.
Storage
These chocolate zucchini cookies keep well in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.
They also freeze well for up to 3 months. Be sure to add a piece of parchment paper or wax paper between layers of cookies to keep them from sticking to each other in the freezer.
Do you love chocolate cake mix recipes? Try these…
Did you try this recipe? Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review below and tag @practicallyhomemade on Pinterest!
Easy Chocolate Zucchini Cake Mix Cookies
Ingredients
Cookies
- 1 box chocolate fudge cake mix, {13.25 ounces}
- ½ cup all purpose flour
- ¼ tsp cinnamon
- 2 large eggs
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup zucchini , {shredded}
- ¾ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- In a medium bowl combine the chocolate cake mix, flour and cinnamon. Whisk to combine the dry ingredients. Add the eggs and vegetable oil to the dry ingredients and mix using a hand held or stand mixer until you have a thick dough.
- Add the shredded zucchini to the dough and stir it into the dough by hand until it is evenly distributed. Then add the chocolate chips and stir them into the chocolate zucchini cookie dough.
- Using a medium sized cookie scoop {or about 2 tablespoons}, scoop cookie dough balls onto a silicone mat {or parchment paper} lined cookie sheet.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes, remove from the oven and let cool on the cookie sheet for 10 minutes before moving them to a cooling rack. Repeat until all of the dough is baked.
Notes
- Add additional chocolate chips to the top of the cookie after baking to get even more chocolate flavor.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
