1-Gathering and Prepping Ingredients: First, preheat your oven to 375°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. This keeps things from sticking and makes cleanup a breeze. Grate the zucchini and squeeze out the excess liquid to avoid soggy dough that’s a tip I learned from trial and error.

2-Mixing the Batter: In a bowl, beat the softened butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until they’re light and creamy; this takes about 3-5 minutes and really makes a difference. Then, add the egg, vanilla extract, and squeezed zucchini, mixing well after each one. Next, combine the dry ingredients: flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon, and mix until almost blended before stirring in the chocolate chips and walnuts if you’re using them.

3-Baking and Cooling: Portion the dough into rounds and space them about 4 inches apart on the baking sheet. Bake for 9-11 minutes until the edges turn golden but the tops stay soft. Let them cool on the sheet for 5 minutes, then move to a wire rack. The whole process takes just about 27 minutes total, including 15 minutes of prep and 12 minutes of cooking.