Zucchini Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies- Yum!
- Dr. Elizabeth
- Jul 30, 2015
- 2 min read
I love to bake, I love cookies, and I love vegetables. So baking these zucchini oatmeal cookies just makes sense! These little gems are made with shredded zucchini, a member of the summer squash family. This delicious, narrow squash that resembles a cucumber with its smooth green skin, has a sweet-tasting white flesh that is an excellent addition to baked goods. Zucchini has a very high (95%) water content, is low in calories, and packs fair amounts of magnesium, potassium, carotenes, and vitamin C. The high water content of the zucchini provides moisture to these cookies, making them soft and delicious, and the skin and flesh are a great source of fiber. From a Traditional Chinese Medicine prospective, zucchini has a yin, cooling, refreshing property, meaning they can help overcome summer heat—fantastic for this exceptionally hot August long weekend!
These cookies are also baked with whole wheat flour and oats that provide fiber and nutrients, as well as chia seeds, which provide omega-3 fatty acids and other lovely nutrients that our bodies crave. Of course, a cookie wouldn’t be a cookie without a little sugar, and some chocolate chips are thrown in there (totally optional) as a treat.
So check out the modified recipe inspired by Jessica Nadel’s Greens 24/7 cookbook (which I highly recommend for those of you looking to creatively incorporate more veggies into your diet—let’s all get in those 7-10 servings a day!). Happy baking!
Makes about 30 small cookies
Ingredients:
1 TBsp ground or whole chia seeds
4-6 TBsp water (depending on if you used ground or whole chia seeds—I used ground and found I needed more water)
2 TBsp unsalted butter (or vegan butter if dairy free)
1 cup (200g) brown sugar
1 cup (125g) whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp cinnamon (I made mine a heaping teaspoon since I LOVE cinnamon!)
¼ tsp nutmeg
1 cup grated zucchini (about 1 medium-sized zucchini should do the trick)
¼ cup chocolate chips (or raisins, or nuts, or whatever your heart desires)
Baking directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C).
2. Mix the chia seeds with 3-5 tablespoons of water (3 if using whole, up to 5 if using ground) and leave to rest for 5 minutes until it becomes a gel.
3. While the chia seeds are soaking, this is a great time to grate your zucchini. Wash your zucchini, and cut off the top and bottom. Use whatever grater you have to grate the zucchini into small shreds—be careful of your fingers!
4. In a bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. Add the chia gel and the remaining 1-2 tablespoons of water and mix well.
5. Add the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and nutmeg. Mix well. Stir in the oats. Fold in the zucchini and chocolate chips (if using).
6. Drop teaspoon-sized spoonfuls onto a baking sheet and flatten just a little. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the cookies have browned slightly on top and no longer look ‘wet’. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
7. Enjoy!
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