Chocolate Zucchini and Strawberry Muffins

I am quickly learning the limits of my culinary space.  I wanted to make Alex some homemade Valentine's Day treats and found all sorts of decadent ideas online: homemade truffles, chocolate covered strawberries, red velvet anything and everything, grandiosely frosted cupcakes and cookies.....  But, truly, anything that requires excessive counter space for setting, drying, mixing, shaping, frosting etc....  It's just more frustration than it's worth.

I decided I couldn't even handle plain heart shaped sugar cookies with colored frosting... Nowhere for the cookies to sit white the frosting dries!

That's why I was so thrilled to find this oh so simple muffin recipe with an oh so simple festively fruity addition to celebrate the holiday.

Recipe: (from Sweet Peas and Pumpkins)
2 cups zucchini, shredded
pinch of salt
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup all-purpose flour (or use 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, no whole wheat)
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 eggs
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
about 10 strawberries (You don't want excessively large strawberries.)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Place shredded zucchini in a colander and sprinkle with a pinch of salt.  Let sit while you assemble other ingredients, about 10 minutes, to drain excess water.

In a large bowl, combine flours, sugar, cocoa powder, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and cinnamon.  Stir to combine; set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs.  Add the applesauce and stir well.

Gently press the zucchini in the colander to release any remaining water.  Add the zucchini to the egg mixture and stir.

Add the zucchini mixture to the flour mixture.  Fold in gently with a spatula until just combined.

Line a muffin tin with muffin liners.  Fill each muffin cup about 3/4 full.

Take each strawberry, cut off the top then cut in half lengthwise.

Cut a small inverted triangle out of the top to create a heart shape.

Press a heart shaped strawberry into the top of each muffin.

Bake for 22-26 minutes (mine were done at 22) or until toothpick inserted in the middle (as close as you can come without piercing the strawberry) comes out clean.  Let cool on wire rack.  Enjoy!

Makes 12 - 16 muffins (I ended up with 15).

Verdict:
Delicious!  Moist.  Chocolatey.  Not too sweet.  I definitely recommend these... Even if it's not Valentine's Day - you can just skip the strawberry!  Left them out for hubby's breakfast on V-Day morning, and he thought they were cute too.

Definitely easier and probably healthier than the truffles and other treats I was contemplating.  Plus since these are clearly not dessert (I qualify muffins, chocolate or not, as breakfast and snack food) and they include veggies, I could still order dessert when hubby took me out to dinner last night!

What would life be like without rationalization?  And chocolate for breakfast on occasion?