Preheat your oven to 425°F and grease 8 muffin cups with oil or cooking spray. While the oven heats, toast the oats in a skillet over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, for 8-10 minutes until they're lightly golden and fragrant. This toasting step develops a deeper, nuttier flavor that really enhances these muffins—it's worth the few extra minutes! Transfer the toasted oats to a bowl and set aside to cool slightly.

Add the coconut yogurt, almond butter, almond milk, maple syrup, apple cider vinegar, and vanilla extract to a blender and blend on high until completely smooth and well combined. Pour this wet mixture into a large mixing bowl. In the same bowl, add the toasted oats from Step 1, potato starch, flaxseed meal, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves. Stir everything together until just combined—don't overmix, as this can make the muffins dense.

Gently fold the shredded and squeezed-dry zucchini into the batter from Step 2 until evenly distributed. Divide the batter equally among the 8 greased muffin cups, filling each about three-quarters full. Sprinkle chocolate chips over the top of each muffin, pressing them gently into the batter. I find that dividing the batter first and then topping ensures every muffin gets an even amount of chocolate chips.

Place the muffin pan in the preheated 425°F oven and bake for 5 minutes to set the tops. Then lower the oven temperature to 350°F and continue baking for 20-23 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs. The two-stage baking method helps create a tender crumb while preventing the tops from browning too quickly.

Let the muffins cool in the pan for 3 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely. This brief cooling in the pan allows them to set up just enough to remove easily without breaking, while finishing on the rack prevents them from getting soggy on the bottom.