You’ll love these chewy Chocolate Oatmeal Zucchini Cookies! Fresh zucchini is grated up then added to oatmeal cookie dough along with raisins and chocolate chips for a soft cookie with great texture, sweetness, and the health benefits of zucchini!
Zucchini is not just for savory dishes! I love making vegetable desserts with zucchini because they are versatile vegetables that add texture and bulk. They're perfect in Zucchini Cookies (aka courgette cookies).
They are light in flavor which means they take on whatever flavor you put on them whether it’s sweet or savory.
When grated, they also help add a nice rich and moist texture to whatever you use them in.
So naturally, I decided to take a chocolate chip oatmeal cookie base and add some shredded zucchini to the mix.
The result is a soft and chewy cookie that has lots of texture and warming flavor. A great dessert or snack, especially for kids!
This was inspired by my Chocolate Zucchini Pancakes and Vegan Zucchini Brownies on this site. Chocolate and zucchini just work so well together in sweet dishes!
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
It’s the perfect way to get vegetables into cookies so kids will love them.
They have a great texture that is soft and chewy coming from the mix of zucchini paired with oats.
The chocolate chips make them a great sweet treat that isn’t too heavy.
They bake up perfectly in 15 minutes or less.
A great way to use an abundance of summer zucchini.
Ingredients
You only need a few simple pantry ingredients, plus the veg!, for this easy Zucchini Cookies recipe.
- Zucchini (courgettes) - You’ll need a peeled and grated zucchini for this cookie recipe to add texture, bulk, and healthy nutrition.
- Butter - Helps the cookie dough become rich with a buttery flavor.
- Brown & White Sugar - Helps sweeten the cookie and add texture.
- Egg - Helps bind and set the cookies when baked.
- Vanilla Extract - Adds a hint of vanilla flavor throughout the cookie.
- Oats - Regular oats, not quick-cook. Gives the cookie a nutty flavor and soft and chewy texture.
- All-Purpose Flour (plain flour) - The main dry ingredient that binds together the cookie dough.
- Cinnamon - Adds a warm cinnamon flavor to the cookies.
- Baking Soda - Helps the cookies rise in the oven.
- Salt - Adds balance to the sweet flavors in the cookie.
- Chocolate Chips & Raisins - Adds pops of sweetness into the cookie.
See the recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
Follow this step-by-step photo tutorial, then scroll down to the recipe card for the full ingredients list and method.
Grate/Shred: Shred the zucchini using a box grater. You can leave the zucchini peeled or unpeeled (I prefer unpeeled so you get flecks of green and more nutrients). Gently squeeze out some of the excess moisture from the shredded zucchini. Set aside.
Mix the wet ingredients: Beat the butter and both sugars together with an electric mixer in a mixing bowl for a few minutes until thick and creamy, then beat in the egg and vanilla for a minute or so until light.
Mix wet & dry ingredients: Whisk the oats, flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt in a bowl, then add to the mixing bowl along with the zucchini and mix, by hand, gently until combined. Add the chocolate chips and raisins and mix gently. Cover the bowl and chill the dough in the fridge for at least 1 hour.
Bake: Preheat the oven to 350°F / 175°C and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Drop heaped tablespoonfuls of the dough onto the baking sheets an inch apart.
Bake the zucchini cookies for 12-15 minutes or until the edges begin to turn brown. Allow to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Serving Suggestions
Spread a sweetened Cream Cheese Frosting on top.
Dunk in a mug of Pumpkin Spice Latte for a comforting snack.
Eat for breakfast with a Zucchini Blueberry Muffin.
Bring to a cookie exchange with Pignoli Cookies, Bethmannchen (German marzipan cookies), Blackberry Cookies (they're naturally bright blue), or Maple Cream Cookies.
Variations
Add in some grated carrots for a crunchy texture and more vegetable flavor.
Turn them into ice cream sandwiches, by adding a big scoop of chocolate ice cream between them.
Give these courgette cookies some crunch by tossing in some of your favorite chopped nuts. I love them with walnuts or pecans!
Add pumpkin pie spice in place of the cinnamon for an additional warming flavor.
Use white chocolate chips for a creamy white chocolate flavor.
Replace the raisins with dried cranberries for a sweet and tart festive flavor.
Special diets
Gluten-Free: To make this recipe gluten-free, you’ll need to use a gluten-free flour blend that contains xanthan gum in place of the all-purpose flour. Be sure to also check that your oats are gluten-free. Oats are naturally gf, but sometimes they're processed in factories with wheat/flour.
Vegan: If you’d like to try making a vegan zucchini cookie, you’ll need an egg replacer, vegan butter, and to make sure the chocolate chips you use are vegan
Storage
Storing: Store leftover courgette cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.
Freezing: baked zucchini oatmeal cookies can be frozen for up to 3 months. Unbaked zucchini cookies can be frozen in balls of dough for up to 3 months. Bake unthawed for an extra 2 minutes.
Top tips
If you want to ‘hide’ the zucchini from picky kids, then peeling it before shredding will make it less easy to detect in the cookies. I don’t usually peel it though!
Use regular old-fashioned oats, not instant or quick cook oats as instant oats will add a mushy texture to the final baked cookie.
If using salted butter, leave out the salt in the recipe.
Make sure you don’t overwork the dough to make sure the cookie stays soft in texture.
When grating zucchini, make sure any excess liquid is removed. It doesn’t need to be completely dry, but make sure it’s not dripping with liquid before mixing with the other cookie ingredients.
Zucchini Recipes
Looking for more recipes to use up zucchini (courgette)? Try some of these!
Check out the Veggie Desserts + Cakes cookbook on Amazon
📖 Recipe
Chocolate Oatmeal Zucchini Cookies
Ingredients
- ½ cup (75g) grated raw unpeeled zucchini (courgette) Approx 1 medium zucchini
- ¼ cup (½ stick; 60g) butter room temperature
- ¼ cup 50g white sugar
- ¼ cup 50g packed brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup 80g oats
- ½ cup 70g all-purpose flour (plain flour)
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- Pinch salt
- ¼ cup 40g chocolate chips
- ¼ cup 40g raisins
Instructions
- Shred/grate the zucchini (unpeeled). Gently squeeze out some of the excess moisture in a clean tea towel (it doesn’t need to be dry, just not dripping). Set aside.
- Beat the butter and both sugars together with an electric mixer in a mixing bowl for a few minutes until thick and creamy, then beat in the egg and vanilla for a minute or so until light.
- Whisk the oats, flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt in a bowl, then add to the mixing bowl along with the zucchini and mix, by hand, gently until combined. Add the chocolate chips and raisins and mix gently.
- Cover the bowl and chill the dough in the fridge for at least 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F / 175°C and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Drop heaped tablespoonfuls of the dough onto the baking sheets an inch apart.Bake the zucchini cookies for 12-15 minutes or until the edges begin to turn brown. Allow to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.
Notes
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.
- Freeze: baked cookies up to 3 months/freeze balls of dough for up to 3 months. Bake unthawed for an extra 2 minutes.
- If you want to ‘hide’ the zucchini from picky kids, then peeling it before shredding will make it less easy to detect in the cookies. I don’t usually peel it though!
- Use regular old-fashioned oats, not instant or quick cook oats as instant oats will add a mushy texture to the final baked cookie.
- If using salted butter, leave out the salt in the recipe.
- Make sure you don’t overwork the dough to make sure the cookie stays soft in texture.
- When grating zucchini, make sure any excess liquid is removed. It doesn’t need to be completely dry, but make sure it’s not dripping with liquid before mixing with the other cookie ingredients.
Nutrition
The nutritional information provided is approximate and can vary depending on several factors, so is not guaranteed to be accurate. Please see a registered dietician for special diet advice.
Tania
Love them! We've made them lots of times now!
Daniel
I oved how easy these were to make and it makes me feel so good that they are healthier than regulars cookies. They are super yummy too!
nava
These taste so yummy and kid approved too! My daughter loves them and I feel so good about all the oats and zucchini shes eating!
Sharmila Kingsly
The Cookies look drop-dead gorgeous.. Will a light green tint from the zucchini, I cant wait to make some !!
Keri Bevan
What a great way to use up all my zucchini! Thank you!
Natalie
Yum. These cookies look amazing. I love how healthy these cookies are. They pack veggies and amazing flavors from cinnamon. I will have to make these cookies soon.