perfect zucchini muffins

without a doubt  the very best zucchini muffins i have ever made!  loaded with zucchini, these muffins have it all. hints of vanilla and cinnamon. a perfectly crunchy top, and the 3 cups of zucchini keep them moist for days. if you are looking for a way to use up your zucchini surplus, i’ve got you covered.

as a lover of quick breads and muffins, when i see a recipe for “best” i am all over it. especially, when it comes to zucchini. our garden produces massive quantities year after year, but  i am not complaining one bit. after being on the road for the last 10 days, i am craving all the vegetables.  i bookmarked this recipe for ultimate zucchini bread from smitten kitchen while i was sitting at LAX.

i did make a few slight tweaks, not that her recipe wasn’t brilliant. imo, muffins are easier. in our house they get eaten faster. probably because they don’t need to be sliced.  grab and go is big around here.

also, i had one giant zucchini waiting to be used.  when grated it produced 3 cups. sure, my chickens would have loved to help take the extra zucchini off my hands, but into the batter it went. (and following deb’s advice i did not press the moisture out of the zucchini.)

why bake muffins with oil vs butter?

when baking cakes, quick breads, and muffins, many recipes use oil instead of butter. oil batters bake up higher, they have a more even crumb, and stay moist longer.  except, i prefer the flavor of butter, and so do most.

the abundance of zucchini, along with the vanilla and spices, does hide the flavor difference, but  i chose to use a mixture of oil and butter for these muffins. the best of both worlds. i was quite happy with my results.

these zucchini muffins baked up high, with a very moist crumb, and are insanely delicious.

practically perfect zucchini muffins

Print Recipe

Yield: 12 muffins

perfect zucchini muffins

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 20-22 minutes

Ingredients:

 

• 3 cups of grated zucchini
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 4 tbsp butter, melted
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 2 1/4 cups flour
• raw sugar for topping (do not skimp)

Directions:

• preheat oven to 350°
• line a standard muffin pan with liners (or grease well)
• in a large bowl combine the zucchini, eggs, oil, butter, sugars, vanilla, salt, and spices
• stir well and add the baking powder, baking soda, and flour
• mix until everything is well combined
• pour batter into prepared muffin pan (cups will be full)
• sprinkle with raw sugar
• bake 20-22 minutes
• cool muffins in pan

   

again following deb's advice, i did not cover the muffins, but left them in the pan tops open. the tops stayed  crunchy and the muffins were perfectly moist keep them at room temperature up to 5 days, can be kept up to 10 days in the fridge

adapted from smitten kitchen

when it comes to quick breads and muffins, i rarely use the same recipe twice. as you can see by my  collection of banana and zucchini bread recipes

but trust me when i say, this is the only zucchini muffin recipe i’ll be using from now on.

enjoy!