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Zucchini Chocolate Chip Cookies

Zucchini chocolate chip cookies that stay soft and pillowy with golden edges and melted chocolate chip pools. Grated zucchini is squeezed very dry and baked into an easy summer cookie that looks like a classic cookie but hides a veggie.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 12 minutes
cooling 5 minutes
Total Time 32 minutes
Servings: 36 servings
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 180
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Dry ingredients
  • 2.5 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 0.5 tsp baking powder
  • 0.5 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
Wet ingredients
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 0.5 cup brown sugar
  • 2 lb unsalted butter softened
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1.5 cup zucchini grated and squeezed very dry
Chocolate
  • 2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan

Method
 

Prep and preheat
  1. Preheat the oven to 375°F and line baking sheets with parchment. Make sure the oven is fully heated before baking for steady browning.
Mix dry ingredients
  1. Whisk all-purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon together in a bowl. Whisk until the spices and leaveners are evenly distributed with no visible clumps.
Cream butter and sugars
  1. Beat unsalted butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Stop when the mixture looks paler and slightly aerated.
Add eggs and vanilla
  1. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each, then beat in vanilla extract. The batter should look smooth and glossy with no streaks.
Add zucchini
  1. Stir in grated zucchini that has been squeezed very dry. Mix only until incorporated so the cookies stay thick and not gummy.
Combine and add chips
  1. Fold in the dry ingredients until just combined, then fold in semi-sweet chocolate chips. Stop as soon as you no longer see dry flour; the dough should be thick.
Scoop and bake
  1. Drop heaping tablespoons of dough onto baking sheets, spacing them about 2 inches apart. The mounds should look slightly tall so they puff while baking.
Bake to set edges and just-done tops
  1. Bake at 375°F for 10–12 minutes until the edges are set and the tops look just done—they will firm as they cool. Look for lightly golden rims with centers that still look soft.
Cool and finish texture
  1. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to a rack to finish cooling. The centers will set while staying soft, with melted chocolate chips appearing shiny.

Notes

Squeeze the grated zucchini very dry for the right soft, moist texture—if it’s wet, the cookies can spread too much. Store airtight at room temperature for up to 3 days or refrigerate up to 5 days; freeze baked cookies up to 2 months and thaw at room temperature. For a gluten-free swap, use a 1:1 gluten-free all-purpose flour blend (measure by weight if possible) and keep the bake time in the 10–12 minute range.