Zucchini Spice Muffins.

Zucchini muffins! This weekend was beautiful; it was warm, & sunny. I’ve been so fixated on making zucchini bread that our kitchen was decidedly lacking the base materials for anything else. So I made zucchini muffins.

At first I was a little disappointed. This just is a different type of batter than the first recipe, which was moist and gooey, and devoured within an hour of leaving the oven. For this recipe, I reduced the cardamom by 75%; it turns out that’s what made the last loaf taste like an Autumn-themed candle. 

The addition of almond meal makes this recipe dryer, but the moisture it had held nicely into the next day. I realized that even though the last loaf was a big crowd pleaser, this one makes a great healthy-ish snack: there’s no butter, limited sugar, and the almond meal is pretty good for you on its own, even if it weren’t taking the place of some of the refined white flour. It would be nice to have a recipe I could make for people who wouldn’t then spend the afternoon complaining that I’m an evil disabler of diets. Because the only thing I dislike more then hearing about your diet is hearing about how it’s my fault you’re failing at it. I’m not going to pretend anymore. 

Healthy {kind-of} Zucchini Muffins:

1 c. Sugar

3 Eggs

3/4 c. Sunflower Oil

1 tsp Vanilla Extract

1/2 c. Finely Chopped Walnuts (Optional)

1/2 c. Almond Meal

2 c. Grated Zucchini

1/2 tsp Ground Cardamom (Reduced from 1 tsp)

1/2 tsp Ground Allspice

1 tsp Ground Cinnamon

Pinch ground cloves (I had no cloves!)

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 c. self-raising flour

1/2 c. plain flour

Turbinado sugar, for top.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9″ springform pan, dusting with flour. I sprinkle a little flour on the center and the sides, then smack it around to even out the distribution. (In the second case, I actually made muffins; paper liners in a non-stick pan.)

In a Kitchenaid with the whisk attachment, combine sunflower oil, sugar, eggs and vanilla until thick. I removed the bowl after the mixer did most of the work , because sometimes I feel like the mixer alone doesn’t whisk enough air into the liquids.

With a spoon, fold in almond meal, zucchini and spices. To make sure the spices are evenly distributed, I mix them together in their own small bowl before adding. Combine baking soda and flours, then sift over liquid mixture and fold in.

Pour into lined/buttered muffin pan and sprinkle Turbinado sugar over top of muffins. Bake 15-20 minutes, for muffins, or 45-50 minutes for a nonstick cake pan. Check with a sharp knife – they’re done when it comes out clean.

Cool in pan for 20 minutes, then turn onto a wire rack and cool completely.

While they’re in the oven, don’t forget to do the dishes and eat some blueberries. (If you neglected to buy blueberries, shame on you.)

Serve warm with butter – I liked them the next day with butter & blackberry jam!

♥ Momo