I feel like my photography has been slightly better lately, but I’m not particularly happy with any of these pictures. I hate when that happens. Because of my work schedule, I usually don’t get to take pictures until late evening. Initially I tried to do these in the evening, didn’t like them, so I ran home at lunch and tried to take them during my lunch hour. Oh well, they’re too good to skip posting. So just know – they taste better than I made them look.
As soon as I saw Tastes of Lizzy T post these muffins, I knew I had to try them soon. I love baking with zucchini (see chocolate chip zucchini bread or zucchini brownies) and these were awesome. The zucchini makes them moist and the streusel in the center with the Reese’s Cups is a happy surprise. I could have eaten the streusel by itself (I might have eaten a spoonful. Or two).
- For the muffins
- 1 cup flour
- ½ cup cocoa powder
- 2½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup canola oil
- ¼ cup milk (I used 2%)
- ½ cup sugar
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 egg
- 1 cup grated zucchini (which was half of a large zucchini for me)
- ½ cup mini chocolate chips
- For the peanut butter streusel
- ½ cup + 1 Tablespoon flour
- ½ cup packed brown sugar
- ¼ cup butter, room temperature (I used salted)
- 3 Tablespoons peanut butter
- ½ cup mini chocolate chips
- 6 mini dark chocolate Reese's cups, quartered
- Spray a jumbo muffin pan with non-stick spray and set aside.
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
- In a small bowl, add the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. Mix together and set aside.
- In a large bowl, with a wooden spoon, mix together the oil, milk, sugar, brown sugar, vanilla, egg, and grated zucchini until well combined.
- Add in the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. If you over mix, you'll end up with tough muffins.
- Fold in the mini chocolate chips.
- In a small bowl, make the streusel by combining the flour, brown sugar, peanut butter, and chocolate chips until crumbly (I could eat this alone, with a spoon).
- Using a cookie scoop (or ice cream scoop), put one scoop of batter into each of the muffin wells. Add a tablespoon of streusel and 4 pieces of the chopped Reese's cups over the batter in each well. Scoop the rest of the batter evenly between the six wells. The muffin wells will be nearly full. Sprinkle the remaining streusel evenly over the tops of each well.
- Bake for 5 minutes at 425 degrees then reduce the oven temp to 375 degrees and bake for an additional 20 minutes. A toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin should come out clean.
These photos look great to me! But, I know what you mean. It happens to me too. I’ll take a set of photos, they’re ok, but not great. I can’t stop thinking about it until I just suck it up and take new photos the following day. It’s an obsession.
I totally feel you on pics not turning out sometimes! I don’t usually cook until the evening either! These sound yummy! Pinning!
Had to laugh because I in making these three times, I had some leftover streusel in the freezer that I just ate by itself this week:) Your muffins look like they turned out great!
Um, I think I could eat almost anything smothered in chocolate and peanut butter. These look SO good! And I totally get the photo thing. I get so frustrated with my lighting isses sometimes. But I happen to think these photos look great 🙂
I actually think these photos are awesome too, Melissa! We are always so much harder on ourselves!! Annnnnnd……these sound scrumptious 🙂
These look so yummy whether you like the pics or not LOL