From the roundup: 24 Zucchini Cookies Recipes Easy Enough for Any Home Baker
These skillet zucchini espresso toffee chip cookies came out of a summer afternoon when I had more zucchini than I knew what to do with and a bag of macadamia nuts that had been sitting in the pantry for two months. The shredded zucchini goes straight into the dough after you squeeze out the liquid, and it keeps the cookies soft and almost chewy well past day one, which matters when you’re baking two dozen and need them to last.
The whole process takes about 27 minutes from start to finish. There is no chilling time, which I genuinely appreciate on a busy afternoon. You do need to spend a solid minute squeezing the zucchini in a kitchen towel, and I mean really squeeze it. The one time I skipped that step, my cookies spread flat and looked more like lace than drop cookies.
White chocolate chips and chopped macadamia nuts give these a buttery richness without making the dough complicated. They are drop cookies, so you scoop and bake. That is really it.
Why you will love this
- No chilling required: scoop and bake in under 30 minutes.
- The zucchini keeps cookies noticeably softer on day two and three compared to a standard drop cookie.
- White chocolate chips and macadamia nuts add richness without any extra steps in the dough.
- One medium zucchini is all you need, which is perfect when the garden gives you just one at a time.
- Bakes one sheet at a time on the center rack, so the timing stays consistent across the whole batch.
Tips for success
- Squeeze the zucchini until it feels nearly dry, not just damp. Transfer it to a clean kitchen towel and wring it out hard, at least two full twists. Wet zucchini is the main reason these spread flat.
- Pull the cookies at 11 to 12 minutes even when the centers look underdone. They firm up on the hot pan during the 2-minute rest, and overbaking them kills the soft texture the zucchini is there to create.
- Spoon and level the flour rather than scooping straight from the bag. Packed flour makes these cakey instead of tender.
- The dough may look slightly curdled after you add the zucchini to the butter mixture. Keep going, it comes together once the flour goes in.
If your cookies spread or stay flat
- The most common cause is zucchini that was not squeezed dry enough. Go back and wring it harder next time.
- Butter that is too warm or melted will also cause spreading. It should be soft enough to dent with your finger, not greasy.
- If your kitchen is very warm, pop the scooped dough in the fridge for 15 minutes before baking.
- Pressing the dough mounds down slightly before baking is intentional, but do not flatten them too much or they will spread thin.
Substitutions
Macadamia nuts can be swapped for roughly chopped cashews or toasted pecans if that’s what you have. Cashews give a similar buttery quality. Semi-sweet chips work in place of white chocolate chips if someone in your house does not love white chocolate, though the flavor will shift toward a more classic cookie.
To make these dairy-free, use a plant-based butter stick (not a spread) and dairy-free white chocolate chips. The texture holds up well with that swap. For a nut-free version, leave out the macadamia nuts entirely and add an extra quarter cup of white chocolate chips to keep the mix-ins balanced.
Make-ahead and storage
You can scoop the dough into balls, place them on a parchment-lined tray, and refrigerate for up to 48 hours before baking. Bake straight from the fridge and add 1 to 2 minutes to the bake time. Cooled cookies keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days, and the texture is genuinely better on day two once everything settles.
To freeze baked cookies, layer them between sheets of parchment in a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature for 20 to 30 minutes. The zucchini in the dough helps them hold their texture after freezing better than most drop cookies do.
Zucchini Espresso Toffee Chip Cookies
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Grate the zucchini on the large holes of a box grater. Transfer it to a clean kitchen towel and squeeze out as much liquid as possible. Keep squeezing until the zucchini feels nearly dry. This is the most important step for getting cookies that bake up properly rather than spreading into flat puddles.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, beat the softened butter with both sugars using a hand mixer or stand mixer on medium speed for about 2 minutes, until light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Add the squeezed zucchini to the butter mixture and mix on low just until incorporated. The mixture may look slightly broken or curdled at this point, which is fine.
- Add the flour mixture and mix on low until just combined. Fold in the white chocolate chips and chopped macadamia nuts with a rubber spatula, making sure they are evenly distributed throughout the dough.
- Scoop rounded tablespoons of dough onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 2 inches apart. Press each mound down very slightly with your fingertips so they are not domed too high.
- Bake one sheet at a time on the center rack for 11 to 12 minutes, until the edges are set and very lightly golden but the centers still look soft. They will continue to firm up on the pan.
- Let the cookies rest on the pan for 2 full minutes before transferring them to a wire rack. They are delicate when hot and need that resting time to hold together as you move them. Cool completely before storing.
Notes
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