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Zucchini Oatmeal Cookies

Zucchini Oatmeal Cookies

These zucchini oatmeal cookies use lightly blotted squash, old-fashioned oats, maple syrup, brown sugar, and chocolate chips to create soft centers with crisp edges. They offer an easy way to use up zucchini in cookies without turning the baking sheet into a swamp. Whether you want healthy zucchini cookies for a lunchbox or zucchini chocolate chip cookies for a late-night craving, this recipe delivers a chewy vegetable oatmeal cookie that still tastes like dessert.
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Prep Time 2 hours 15 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 30 minutes
Servings: 2 dozen
Course: Cookies, Desserts
Cuisine: American
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 1 cup 130g shredded zucchini (lightly blotted, see step 1)
  • 2 cups 170g old-fashioned whole rolled oats*
  • 1 cup 125g all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 cup 8 Tbsp; 113g unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
  • 1/2 cup 100g packed dark or light brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup 100g granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg at room temperature
  • 1 Tablespoon pure maple syrup*
  • 1 and 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 1 cup 180g semi-sweet chocolate chips

Equipment

  • Box grater
  • Medium cookie scoop
  • Clean kitchen towel
  • Hand mixer or stand mixer

Method
 

  1. Prep the Zucchini
    You lightly blot the shredded zucchini with a clean kitchen towel or paper towel. You should not squeeze out all the moisture because the cookies can turn dry and crumbly.
    You need one cup of lightly blotted zucchini. You can cover it and refrigerate it for up to one day before mixing.
  2. Mix the Dry Ingredients
    You whisk the oats, flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon together in a medium bowl. You set the bowl aside.
  3. Cream the Butter and Sugar
    You beat the softened butter and both sugars with a hand mixer or stand mixer for about three minutes. The mixture should look pale and fluffy instead of wet and sandy.
  4. Add the Wet Ingredients
    You add the egg and mix until combined. You scrape down the bowl, then add the maple syrup and vanilla.
    You mix until the batter looks smooth.
  5. Combine and Chill
    You add the dry ingredients and zucchini to the wet ingredients. You mix on low speed until combined, then beat in the chocolate chips.
    You cover the dough and chill it for at least two hours and up to four days.
    If you chill the dough for more than a few hours, you let it sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before scooping.
  6. Prep for Baking
    You preheat the oven to 350°F. You line the baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
  7. Scoop and Bake
    You scoop heaping one-and-a-half-tablespoon portions and place them three inches apart on the baking sheets.
    You bake the cookies for 13 to 14 minutes until the sides turn lightly brown. You bake them for 15 minutes when you want crispier edges.
    The centers will look very soft when you remove the cookies, but they set as they cool.
  8. Cool and Set
    You cool the cookies on the baking sheet for five minutes. You transfer them to a wire rack afterward.
    You can press extra chocolate chips into the warm tops for a bakery-style finish.

Recipe Notes

Make Ahead & Freezing:
Freeze baked cookies or unbaked dough balls for up to 3 months. Bake frozen dough balls without thawing, adding 1 extra minute to the bake time.
Zucchini:
No need to peel the zucchini before shredding, but you can peel it if preferred.
Oats:
Use old-fashioned whole oats for the best thick, hearty, and chewy texture. Avoid quick or instant oats.
Maple Syrup:
Maple syrup adds flavor and helps the cookies spread and crisp around the edges. You can substitute honey or molasses, or leave it out, though the cookies will have a different texture and flavor.