Zucchini Muffins

If you read yesterday's post, you know that this coming weekend houseguests will be destroying visiting my humble abode.  Serving only one type of snack is just wrong.

Allowing a humongous zucchini to compost in my fridge is also very wrong.  Well, you know what they say -- when life gives you zucchini, make zucchini muffins!    Woo-hoo!  Two problems solved!

... pats self on back ...

Now, where were we?

Oh, yeah, the muffins.  The original recipe uses butter, but I've made the parve alternative a number of times, and no one has ever noticed or complained.  Of course no one ever did ... they were too busy stuffing their faces with these tender jobbies to make anything but yummy noises.

You can make the muffins both with and without the added raisins and nuts.  I prefer the addition of both, but the choice is really up to the people who will eventually eat them.  I'm not really sure if next weekend's  guests will like my inclusive version, but if they don't, more for me and for the people at work.  Co-workers never mind at all.

No need to haul out the mixer to make the muffins.  But a food processor is highly recommended to grate the zucchini.  I started out attempting to grate by hand, but after a minute had a very wet mushy pile of zucchini.  So I went downstairs to get the processor grating attachment (I kept it in the basement when there was no room in the old kitchen, and now that it's been remodeled I'm afraid if I bring the attachments upstairs I'll never remember where I stashed them), hooked it up, and 2 seconds later I'm swimming in perfectly thinly shredded zucchini.

The original recipe says 12 muffins, 14 if the nuts and raisins are used.  However, I was able to make 18, using all the added nuts and just 1/4 cup of raisins.  Either her muffin tins are huge or mine are puny.  In any event, your mileage may vary.

Tip Alert:  if the batter doesn't fill all the cups in the tin, fill the unused ones with water so those otherwise empty cups won't burn.


Zucchini Muffins
Adapted from Simply Recipes
Makes 12-18 muffins, depending upon muffin pan size and if optional ingredients are used

1 1/3 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
3 cups grated zucchini (use the shredder attachment in your food processor, you can thank me later)
1 cup vegetable oil
2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1 cup walnuts (optional)
1 cup raisins (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Place cupcake liners in muffin tin and set aside.

In a large bowl, lightly whisk the eggs, then mix in sugar and vanilla.

Switch to a spatula, then mix in the zucchini and oil. Add baking soda and salt to zucchini mixture and mix in.

In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, nutmeg, cinnamon and cloves.  Don't try to read anything in the dry ingredients, the swirls are coincidental.

Fold dry mixture into zucchini mixture until it is almost totally incorporated.  Fold in walnuts and/or raisins if using.  If necessary, continue to fold mixture  just until dry mixture is incorporated.  Avoid over-mixing to prevent toughened muffins.

Spoon muffin batter equally among the cups, filling the cups almost to the top.

Bake on the middle rack until muffins are golden brown and the top of the muffins bounce back when lightly pressed, about 20 to 30 minutes depending upon muffin size, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of a muffin comes out dry.

Set tin on wire rack to cool for 5 minutes. Remove muffins from the tin let cool on rack at least another 15 minutes.

When muffins are completely cooled, store up to two days in air-tight container, or freeze up to one month.