Preheat your oven to 375°F. While it’s heating up, take a 12-cup muffin tin and either line it with paper muffin liners or spray it with baking spray. This will ensure your muffins come out perfectly with a golden crust.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt, and espresso powder. The espresso really enhances the chocolate flavor! Make sure everything is smooth and well-combined, then set it aside.

Next, in another bowl, combine the granulated sugar, brown sugar, vegetable oil, egg, and vanilla extract. Whisk everything together until smooth and fully blended. The sugar should dissolve nicely into the oil, and the vanilla will make everything smell heavenly.

Now, stir in the grated zucchini, which will keep the muffins nice and moist. Give it a good mix to ensure the zucchini is evenly distributed throughout the batter. (read FAQs section)

Carefully pour the liquid mixture over the dry ingredients. Using a spatula, gently fold everything together until you no longer see any streaks of flour. Don’t overmix, as that could make the muffins tough. Just fold until it’s all combined.

Add in ½ cup of chocolate chips and fold them into the batter for that extra chocolatey goodness in each muffin. 

Scoop the batter evenly into the muffin cups, filling each about ¾ full. Afterward, sprinkle the remaining ¼ cup of chocolate chips on top for a little extra chocolate burst in every bite.

Place the muffin tin in the oven and bake for 17-20 minutes. You’ll know they’re done when the tops are nicely domed and set. Insert a toothpick into the center, and it should come out with a few crumbs stuck to it, not completely clean.

Once they’re done, let the muffins cool in the pan for about 5 minutes to firm up. Then transfer them to a cooling rack to cool fully. Enjoy!