Saturday, July 28, 2012

Zucchini, Carrot, and Banana Muffins

Are you looking for a moist and delicious, beautiful and healthy summer muffin? A muffin that incorporates not only two types of vegetables, but some fruit as well? Well, I am always on the lookout for this type of muffin to bake up for a breakfast treat. Earlier this week I had an abundance of zucchini sitting on my counter thanks to both a coworker and a neighbor. Of course, zucchini bread came to mind right away, but my internet search for an amazing sounding recipe didn't turn up much. There are about a gazillion zucchini bread recipes out there, but none of them jumped out at me and got me excited to bake. That's when I turned to my trusty cookbook collection and came up with a nice looking recipe from what is probably my favorite cookbook, The Sweeter Side of Amy's Bread. It was the perfect solution to my baking conundrum.

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The original muffin recipe was for zucchini, carrot and apple muffins, but I hate having chunks of apple in my bread, so I decided to sub bananas in instead. It was a brilliant substitution if you ask me. The recipe also calls for coconut and toasted walnuts, both of which I omitted. I'm not a big fan of coconut, and I don't like nuts in my bread either. I didn't miss either of them, the muffins were wonderfully flavorful without them.

These muffins turned out incredibly soft and moist, they were not dry in the least. They did not have the lightly crisp tops that some muffins do, but instead were soft and almost sticky because of how moist they were. I found them to be incredibly delicious, and also surprisingly healthy. Yes, they have some sugar, but only half a cup of oil for 24 muffins. I don't think that is bad at all. Now that I have a bunch of frozen, grated zucchini in my freezer alongside my collection of frozen ripe bananas, these muffins will show up all year long.

Lined up and ready to go

Dig in to deliciousness!


Zucchini, Carrot and Banana Muffins
Adapted from: The Sweeter Side of Amy's Bread
Ingredients

  • 3 cups (435 g) flour
  • 1 1/8 cups (227 g) sugar
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • 2 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 3 cups (340 g) carrots, peeled and grated
  • 2 cups (255 g) zucchini, grated
  • 1 cup (270 g) mashed, ripe banana
  • 4 eggs
  • 1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon (120 g) vegetable oil
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking soda, salt and baking powder. Set aside.

In another medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, oil, and vanilla. Set aside.

In a large bowl, gently toss together the carrots, zucchini, and bananas. Pour the liquid egg mixture over the grated vegetables and bananas, and fold in gently to combine. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and fold in until just combined.

Scoop the batter gently into greased or lined muffin tins. Bake for 8 minutes at 400 degrees, then rotate the pan and reduce the temperature to 350 degrees. Bake for an additional 9-11 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Leave muffins in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove from the pan and place on a wire reach to cool completely.

Yields: 24 muffins

67 comments:

  1. these were surprisingly moist and sweet. I will make these again!

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  2. This is a perfect recipe! I was just searching for carrot muffins as a snack for my hubby who loves carrot cake, but the only ones I found had apple, and I hate apple chunks in my breads! Thanks for sharing, I will have to give this one a try!
    -Katie (Allison's sister)

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    1. I'm glad I could help you out! I hope you enjoy the recipe, I know I sure did. It's nice to hear from someone else who hates apple chunks in bread!

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  3. You say to reduce to 350 when it started at 350... Is this an error?

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    1. Oops! Sorry, you are supposed to start at 400 degrees, and then reduce to 350. I've made the change in the recipe. Thanks for letting me know!

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  4. Thank you for this recipe! It's exactly what I needed to use up some veggies and old bananas.

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  5. I made this into muffins, used coconut oil instead of canola, plus used walnuts and dried blueberries... YUM!

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  6. Do these end up having a super banana-ey flavor to them?

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    1. I don't think the banana flavor is too strong, but then again, I love all banana breads. The original recipe actually didn't have any banana in it, it had 2 cups of grated granny smith apples instead of the 1 cup of mashed banana in my recipe. You can give that a try if you'd prefer apple. I am just not a huge fan of apple in my breads, so I decided to go with banana instead, but I am sure the apple version is delicious too!

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    2. Hmm, ok. I don't want apple, I don't think. I just wanted the zucchini to be the star and was afraid the banana might take over...

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    3. If you want the zucchini to be the star, you could try replacing some/all of the carrot with some more zucchini. That might help, maybe?

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  7. I just made these! In the oven right now. My husband and kids are gonna live these. The only thing I did different was use 3/4 cup applesauce instead of the oil. I try to avoid adding oils to my baked goods if possible. Thanks for sharing.

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    1. Good idea with the applesauce, I'll have to give it a try!

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  8. Hubby and I both thought these muffins were a little bland. I added more salt and sugar with the 2nd batter. Also, I added more cinnamon and some nutmeg. Adding raisins and walnuts helped too.

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    1. Sorry they were bland. I'm glad you found a way to jazz them up a little bit. I think your tweaks sound pretty good, I may have to give it a try! Whatever works for you is the way to go!

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  9. I added raisins too. But instead of making all muffins, I put some of the mixture into mini loaf pans. Wonderful!

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  10. very yummy, I added only 1/3 cup of oil and used apple sauce of the rest. I also threw in just a handful or so of craisins and they were wonderful!

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  11. Just made these. I used more banana instead of adding oil, and I substituted oats for the flour. I'm waiting for them to come out of the oven!

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    1. Yum! I'd love to hear how they turned out with those substitutions.

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    2. Did you use the same amount of oats as called for the flour? did they hold together well?

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  12. did anyone ever try using whole wheat flour instead? or a combo with oats?
    I plan to also add dark chocolate chips!

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    Replies
    1. I have and the whole wheat flour gives them a slightly grainy crunchy texture, but I like that so it worked for me.

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  13. I'm whipping these up right now!! Would much rather eat this delicious sounding muffin versus another friggin salad... To ensure that these aren't "too healthy" I'm adding raising and chocolate chips for good measure! Glad I found this recipe and can't wait to try more :)

    www.lisalisted.com

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    1. No, we wouldn't want to be too healthy! :) Adding some additional sweetness sounds like a wonderful idea!

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  14. I baked these today and they are absolutely delicious! Just made a few changes:- used 2 cups white whole wheat flour and 1 cup mix of buckwheat flour, oat flour and flaxseed meal. Pureed the vegetables instead of shredding them. I also added more brown sugar and cinnamon as I felt they were too bland. The resulting muffins were just perfect. I got 72 mini muffins out of this and they baked perfectly at 400 degrees in 9 minutes. These are amazing with a soft moist texture and very filling too. My toddler and 6 year old loved it, and so did my picky hubby! Thank you for this wonderful healthy recipe! Wish I could send you a picture :)

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    1. I'm glad you got these muffins to work out for you! Your changes sound very yummy, and I like the idea of pureed veggies instead of shredded. Sounds easier to me!

      I wish I could see you pics!

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  15. Thanks! Those 72 mini muffins were gone in less than 72 hours I tell ya! :) I like to puree the vegetables than to shred as it saves a lot of time and also avoids tantrums from fussy eaters. All my daughter's friends liked them very much and they are not that easy to please. Please send me your email id where I can send you a picture. Thanks again!

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  16. Your photos always make me hungry, and these muffins are just perfect!

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    Replies
    1. Thanks for the kind comment, it really does mean a lot to me! I'm so glad you like the muffins!

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  17. I discovered this recipe a couple of years ago, and it's been one of my favorites ever since! I love to use it as a way to use up whatever fruits/veggies I have laying around. I've used apples(or apple sauce), bananas, pumpkin, carrots, zucchini, pears, etc. I just make sure I have a total of 3 cups of shredded produce in there and it pretty much always works out. Just put a batch in the oven with carrots, zucchini, applesauce, and pumpkin puree, it should make for an awesome breakfast in the morning!

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    1. I am so glad to hear about your success! Thank you so much for letting me know, I really appreciate it. It's always nice to hear about how recipes work for other people. And it's good to know that 3 cups of pretty much any fruit or vegetable will work in this recipe. I might have to take another go at it today!

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  18. Great recipe, tried it and it was a success :)

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    1. I'm glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for the feedback!

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  19. I've been making these muffins for a few years now, as a way to get veggies into my picky kids, but the whole family loves them. Thanks again for a great recipe! I'd love to see more sneaky veggie recipes ;)

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    1. I am so happy to hear about your success with these muffins! Thanks for sharing, and continue to enjoy!! :)

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  20. Can you omit the eggs and use Greek yogurt in place? My son's allergic to eggs and I want to make these into mini muffins to pack in the school lunches, or for us to eat for breakfast before school. I heard of using banana in place of the eggs.

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  21. Can you omit the eggs and use Greek yogurt in place? My son's allergic to eggs and I want to make these into mini muffins to pack in the school lunches, or for us to eat for breakfast before school. I heard of using banana in place of the eggs.

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    Replies
    1. Monica, my son is allergic to eggs as well, and his allergist said that eggs in baked goods are okay because the baking process changes the molecular structure of the eggs. I bake with eggs all the time and my son has never reacted. Maybe ask your doctor about it?

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  22. Have you tried this recipe in a cake or loaf format?

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  23. I have not tried it in loaf form, I will ask about the structure change of egg in baked goods. My son is HIGHLY highly allergic. Meaning, if you were to eat, touch ANYTHING with egg or peanut on it. And then Touche or Kiss him. Immediately, we breaks out in hives, and becomes very sick (vomiting) and then you have to administer EPIpen, call 911. It's a bit of a deal breaker for us. But I LOVE trying new ways to use other ingredients in place of those things. Banana =egg, Cashew or Almond butter=peanut butter in our home. That's great your son can have eggs after their baked. I WILL ask him doctor about it. Thanks.

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  24. Do you have to wring out the excess moisture from the zucchini and carrots?

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  25. Hi! Can you use a mini muffin pan? If so how would you adjust the heat/cooking times accordingly? I am not a baker, but attempting to make something on the healthier side for my 3 year old! Thank you!

    ReplyDelete
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