Some of you may be thinking “why is she giving us a recipe for zucchini muffins? The season is over and we’ve moved on to winter squash.” Well, maybe where you are but here on Maui and at other warm weather locations we are still getting an abundance of zucchini! Right now I have over 5 pounds of beautiful green squash to use. You could substitute grated pumpkin or carrots if you aren’t fortunate enough to have zucchini on hand!
My kids were on their way to visit from Georgia so I wanted to have some quick snacks or breakfasts already made so we could grab and go. I also wanted them to be relatively healthy. As you know, I’m a big believer in oats, enjoying my overnight oatmeal many mornings. I thought some zucchini and oat muffins would be great to have and would help me use up some of the zucchini.
A trick Alton Brown uses when making oatmeal cookies is to toast the oats. It gives them a lovely deep nutty flavor so I used that technique for the mini muffins.
Makes 24 mini muffins, each 112 calories, 4 grams fat, 18 grams carbs, 2.5 grams protein
Ingredients:
Cooking spray
1 ¼ cup old fashioned oats, toasted in 400 degree oven for 10 minutes
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 TBSP ground cinnamon
½ tsp salt
2 cups grated zucchini
½ cup pure maple syrup
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 TBSP ground cinnamon
½ tsp salt
2 cups grated zucchini
½ cup pure maple syrup
½ cup natural applesauce (unsweetened)
1 cup golden raisins
1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
1 large egg, beaten
Method:
Toast oats for 10 minutes, or until golden brown, in 400 degree oven. Cool briefly (5 minutes or so) and reduce oven to 325 degrees.
Spray mini muffin tin with cooking spray.
Pulse cooled oats and walnuts in food processor until coarsely ground.
Mix oat/nut mixture, flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, mix zucchini, maple syrup, applesauce, raisins, vanilla, and egg.
Add wet ingredients to dry and stir until well combined.
Spoon into mini muffin tins.
Spoon into mini muffin tins.
Bake for 12 minutes or until toothpick inserted in muffin comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes and remove from pan. Allow to cool completely on wire rack.
Serve warm or room temp; store in airtight container.
