Zucchini Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Spice Cookies

These deliciously soft and chewy cookies are baked with healthy amount of shredded zucchini and rolled oats. Flavoured with pumpkin spice and sweetened with milk chocolate chips, these cookies also have crunch factor with toasted chopped walnuts!

Just toward the end of the summer, our cleaning lady, Donna, brought us two of the largest zucchini I’ve ever seen from her garden. I’ve seen overgrown zucchini before, but they usually have a slight discolouring on the outside and large, dark-coloured seeds on the inside. These particular zucchinis were uniformly green all over and the inside flesh was crisp and perfectly white. I knew immediately that I wanted to make these Zucchini Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Spice Cookies with them. Thanks, Donna!

I’ve learned a few years ago that baking with zucchini is certainly the way to go for me. I don’t mind the flavour of zucchini, but I don’t like the texture of zucchini that has been baked, fried, or grilled. Sometimes it’s overdone and mushy, and other times it’s perfectly cooked, but still the texture does not agree with me. But, when it comes to baking with it, I don’t have a problem with texture at all. Until I started baking with it, I avoided it entirely.

Blogging about food is one of the most fun things I’ve ever done.  I have tried my hand at many hobbies over the years, but they have not lasted long.  Because of blogging, I have been forced to try different foods, try different preparation and cooking methods, and learn about different cultures, cuisines, and food origins. 

Zucchini is one such new food.  I never knew it was so versatile and so delicious.  And, I never knew it could stand up so well to being baked into a cookie such as these Zucchini Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Spice Cookies!

SO MANY WAYS TO PREPARE ZUCCHINI

Once I started baking with zucchini, I soon realized I loved it!  Previoulsy, I have made Zucchini Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins and this Spiced Zucchini Cake. They were a great option for using up summer’s zucchini bounty.  But, truth be told, other than baked goods, I prefer my zucchini to be in the form of a pickle.

Have you ever had Preserved Mustard Pickles?  Zucchini pairs very well with mustard, so I had to include them in my preserved pickle recipe.  And, instead of cucumbers, I used zucchini in my Bread and Butter Zucchini Pickles recipe.  I think zucchini just ends up a better-tasting pickle.

WHY YOU SHOULD ADD ZUCCHINI TO BAKED ITEMS

When it comes to cookies and cakes, zucchini does two things.  First, the finely grated zucchini adds gorgeous flecks of green throughout the cookie or cake while adding more nutritional value to the cake itself.

Secondly, zucchini helps to keep baked goods super moist.  These Zucchini Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Spice Cookies are proof of that!  These cookies can only be described as being super moist, super delicious, super easy, and the most wonderful way possible to introduce your family to the familiar tastes and scents of fall flavours.

In our home, fall flavours are always welcomed, but I know some people think that pumpkin spice-like flavours should be saved for Thanksgiving and Christmas.  And once Christmas is over, the pumpkin spice-like spices should be packed away for the next ten months. Well, in our home, cinnamon, ginger, all-spice, nutmeg, and cloves – the classic flavours in a pumpkin spice mix – are always welcomed and craved!  We absolutely love it! 

HERE IS WHAT YOU WILL NEED:

The following is a list of the ingredients needed to prepare this recipe. For exact amounts and measurements, refer to the printable recipe card located near the bottom of this post. 

• Flour – No need for anything special. Just use regular all-purpose flour. I have not tried this recipe with any other type of flour.
• Pumpkin Spice
• Baking Soda – This is a baking ingredient that’s activated by a liquid and helps with leavening or rising. 
• Salt – This is a common ingredient in baking and cooking.  In baking, it helps to enhance and balance the sweetness.
• Butter – Make sure your butter is softened and at room temperature! I always use salted butter, unless stated otherwise.  To be perfectly honest, there’s never much of a difference in taste or appearance once all is said and done. Use what you have on hand.
• Sugar – You will need both granulated sugar and brown sugar for this recipe. 
• Eggs – Whenever you set out to bake, make sure your eggs are at room temperature too – just like your butter!
• Vanilla Extract – Probably the most common extract and the most common flavouring used in cakes and cookies. 
• Zucchini – The zucchini will be shredded and squeezed very well to get rid of as much moisture as possible. The more liquid you can squeeze out of the zucchini, the better results you will have!
• Rolled Oats – Often referred to as quick oats or quick cook oats.
• Walnuts – I like to toast the walnuts for more flavour, but it’s not completely necessary.
• Milk Chocolate Chips

HOW TO MAKE ZUCCHINI CHOCOLATE CHIP PUMPKIN SPICE COOKIES

Begin by preheating your oven to 350 degrees F and lining a cookie sheet with a silicone liner or parchment paper. Set aside. In a large bowl, beat to cream together the butter and both sugars. Add the egg and vanilla. Mix into the butter and sugar mixture. Add the zucchini and beat into the butter and egg mixture. Next, add the flour, pumpkin spice, salt, and baking soda. Mix on low speed until just mixed with the butter mixture. Stir in the rolled oats and the chocolate chips with a wooden spoon.

Use a spring-release cookie scoop, measuring 1 1/2 tablespoons of cookie dough. Place the cookie dough mounds on the prepared baking sheet at least 2 inches apart.

Bake for 14 minutes. Remove the cookies from the oven and allow them to cool on the baking sheet for five minutes before transferring them to a wire cooling rack to finish cooling. Bake these cookies in batches. If you overcrowd the oven with more than one baking sheet at a time, the cookie does not bake properly.

GET THE WATER OUT OF THE ZUCCHINI!

If you’re baking with zucchini, it’s important to remember that zucchini has a lot of water content and it’s important to rid the zucchini of as much of that water as possible before adding it to your recipe.  As you may have guessed, the water content would greatly affect the baking time and the consistency of the batter or dough.  You might end up with a cookie, cake, or muffin that is way too moist or dense, or one that just won’t bake all the way through at all.

To get rid of the water in zucchini, there’s a very easy solution.  Grate the zucchini very finely using either a box grater or a food processor.  Once the zucchini has been grated, I like to let it just sit in a bowl for about fifteen to twenty minutes just so that it can relax a bit.  The grated strands will slowly release the water.  Next, transfer the squeezed zucchini to the center of a clean kitchen towel.  Once all the zucchini is piled high into the center of the towel, gather up the sides and twist to get as much water as possible out of the zucchini.  Unfold the towel and transfer the zucchini to a bowl.  Lightly fluff it with a fork before measuring the amount needed for your recipe.

STORING AND FREEZING

Zucchini Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Spice Cookies will last in a cookie jar on your countertop for 3-5 days. They will last in the freezer for three months. Be sure you have a good container with a tight seal. Whenever I’m freezing cookies, I always double up on the seal action. Before I place the lid on, I always drape a sheet of plastic wrap on top. Then I push the lid on. I just feel that the lid fits more tightly. Any little thing I can do to keep the frost out, I’m going to do it! I like to use tins like this.

Like I always say, if you freeze any baked goods, remove only the amount you want when you decide to thaw them. Fetch the container from the freezer and remove only what you need. Put the lid back on and get the container back in the fridge.

To properly thaw baked goods, place them on a plate or a wire cooling rack. Don’t pile them. Spread them out and give them some space. Let them sit at room temperature for 10 to 15 minutes. They will taste fresh and perfect every single time!

QUESTIONS?

If I have not answered all of your questions in the text above, don’t hesitate to reach out to me! You can contact me by sending me a message in the comments section further down the page. I will try my best to answer as soon as possible! You might reach me even faster by following me on Facebook and sending me a private message. Scroll down below the recipe card to find my Follow Me on Social Media box and never miss another recipe!