Tuxedo Zucchini Bread Muffins

What do you do when you're given ripe tomatoes, squash, cucumbers, and giant zucchinis from your sister in-law's and sweet neighbor's gardens?? Along with enjoying fresh salads and stir-fry, you make zucchini bread. :) And I thought to switch it up, I'd make muffins. There are few absolutes in this world, but I strongly believe that one is that when I'm baking, extra chocolate chips are always welcome in my kitchen. I found this delicious zucchini bread muffin recipe, changed a couple things and added some sweetness with the chocolate. Who says garden produce and chocolate can't be a match made in heaven? 

Tuxedo Zucchini Bread Muffins

Yields: 24 muffins

3 cups finely grated fresh zucchini

2/3 cup + 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 1/3 cup sugar

2 eggs, beaten

2 teaspoons vanilla

2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

 3 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

12 ounces white chocolate chips

6 ounces milk chocolate chips

(You don't need a mixer for this recipe, a spoon is just fine:)

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl combine the sugar, eggs (beaten), and vanilla. Stir in the grated zucchini (I found my zucchini was very juicy, so I squeezed out a tablespoon or so of juice from each of the three cups I used) and then the melted butter. In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Stir these dry ingredients unto the zucchini mixture. Fold in the mixed chocolate chips.  Coat each muffin cup in your muffin pan with a little butter or vegetable oil spray (Pam Baking Spray rocks, and smells good:). Spoon batter into the muffin tin, almost completely filling each cup. Bake on the middle rack until muffins are golden brown, and the top of the muffins bounce back when you press on them, about 18-20 minutes (do not over bake!). Test with a long toothpick to make sure the center of the muffins are done. Set on wire rack to cool for 5 minutes, then remove the muffins from the tin. I took a butter knife and lightly circled the muffins to loosen them, and they popped right out. You can serve and enjoy them warm, or let them cool. Reheated muffins (5 seconds in the microwave) with a glass of cold milk are delicious too!