St. Patrick’s Day is a pretty big deal here in Jackson. There’s a big parade, featuring a phenomenon called Sweet Potato Queens, which I won’t even try to explain, especially because being a newcomer I don’t really understand it myself. Suffice it to say that there are a lot of big-haired, gaudily-clad women with artificially enhanced chests parading through the streets. I mean bigger hair and more gaudy and enhanced than usual! Here’s a shot of a few ladies who weren’t even part of the parade:
Since we were planning on being at the parade during lunchtime, I knew I needed to get a hearty breakfast into my two girls (E. plus a spare), and since one of the two isn’t a vegetarian (her favorite breakfast is bacon) I figured I’d probably better stick to sweeter breakfast foods. So, to honor the day, I made muffins with a “secret St. Patrick’s Day fruit.” Yes, they figured out that zucchini is really a fruit, but by that time they were happily chowing down on these lemony muffins with cinnamon crumb toppings.
St. Patrick's Day Zucchini Muffins
Ingredients
Dry ingredients:
- 2 cups white whole wheat flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup raisins
- 1/4 cup chopped walnuts optional
Wet ingredients:
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Ener-G egg replacer
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 1/4 cup shredded zucchini packed
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon agave nectar or other liquid sweetener
- 1 1/4 cups fat-free soymilk or other non-dairy milk
Optional Cinnamon Crumb Topping:
- 1 teaspoon margarine or apple sauce
- 1/2 tablespoon demerara sugar
- 1/2 tablespoon flour
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 F. Line a muffin pan with paper or silicone liners or spray with non-stick spray.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk the Ener-G egg replacer powder with the water until foamy. Add the remaining wet ingredients and stir to combine.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir just until combined. Do not over-stir. Batter will be very heavy. Spoon into muffin cups, dividing batter equally among the cups. Combine the topping ingredients with a fork until crumbly, and sprinkle the center of each muffin with a little topping, if desired. Bake until a toothpick comes out clean, about 20 minutes.
Notes
Nutritional info is approximate.
As a special tribute to St. Patrick’s Day (and to get my daughter and her friend to try the muffins) I sprinkled some of them with green sugar. It worked!
Good-Dees
This recipe was awesome! my husbands favorite when it comes to zucchini bread- oh, I divided my batter up into 3 parts for mini-loafs- baked them for 35-40 mins @ 350 degrees. I'm making more and popping them in the freezer! Thank you for another great recipe!
Kate
I made these and they are delicious! I do have to say though they stuck a lot to the paper liners so I think next time I'll spray the liners with a little canola or bakers joy. Any one else have this problem?
Nadia
Hello 🙂 I've been following your blog for quite a while now, but this is the first time I've made a sweet backed good of yours. I made these muffins this afternoon and they are delicious! I subbed a few things, dried blueberries instead of currants, cinnamon instead of nutmeg, and a white wheat and gluten free flour instead of plain flour. The only down point was what a few others have pointed out as well – they've stuck to the paper liners pretty badly…is this less of a problem with silicone liners?
Finally, also just wanted to say thankyou so much for so many amazing recipes!
SusanV
Hi Kate and Nadia–Sorry about the liners sticking! I really shouldn't have mentioned paper liners in the instructions because the truth is I never use them. With fat-free muffins, they always stick. I prefer silicone liners, silicone muffin pans, or metal non-stick pans sprayed with a little oil.
Rin
Hi,
What do you mean by white whole wheat flour?
Im from Australia, and we have white flour or wholemeal flour, both either in plain or self raising…….
Thanks!
SusanV
Rin, white whole wheat is a special variety of wheat that's lighter in taste and color but still a whole grain. Here's a link to it: White Whole Wheat Flour. If you can't find it there, you can use regular whole wheat flour or even a combination of whole wheat and unbleached white flour.
Nlovin
This recipe looks amazing! However, I would be cautious of using agave nectar as it is now been scientifically discovered that is just another man-made artificial sweetener similar to high-fructose corn syrup. Just an FYI.
As a result, when I make these, I'll use honey or just increase the raw cane sugar. I hope that produces that same effects.
SusanV
Nlovin, there's a lot of false information going around about agave. Don't believe everything you read, positive OR negative.
BigTickles
Another great recipe! This is our second one and it everyone loves it….even the picky 15 month year old.
Jess
I made these last night, and they taste amazing! I added a 1/4 tsp of cinnamon to the batter, because I love cinnamon. They were a little gooey and dense, so I cooked them for about 10-15 minutes longer. I used flax seeds instead of Ener-G, so that may have been why they took longer to cook. They were moist, not too sweet, and oh-so delicious. Thanks again for a great recipe!
Jess
I was just pondering… Could it be possible that my batter took a bit longer to bake because I didn’t add raisins or walnuts? It was gooey/runny in the center until I let it cook for the 15 extra minutes. I imagine that the raisins would absorb some of the moisture as the muffins cook? So, if I’m omitting raisins from baked goods, should I use slightly less liquid?
SusanV
I’m sorry they turned out soggy, but you may be on to something. I wouldn’t think the raisins would absorb a huge amount of liquid, but it might be enough to throw off the balance. Also, ovens differ in their accuracy, and flours can have different moisture contents, and we could be cooking at different altitudes. All of these could contribute to a recipe needing a little more or less baking time.
Mary
We like these so much that today, I tripled the recipe and made a big batch. They freeze well. Thanks for the great recipes!
Jenny
I was wondering…I’d like to try these without the sugar,more like a snack than something sweet.Omitting the raisins is no problem but omitting the sugar will disturb the balance between wet and dry ingredients,right?I was wondering if you have a suggestion as to how I could adjust the quantities…
Yael
I have to ask you. what is white whole wheat flour? and where do you buy it? I live in Israel, and have never seen anything like that. What can I use instead?
thanks
SusanV
White whole wheat is a variety of wheat that is lighter in color and flavor than regular whole wheat. At first it was only available from a company calledl King Arthur, but it’s become easier to find here in the US. You can used regular whole wheat flour anywhere I use it.
Azahara
Hi Susan,
Do you think I could omit the sugar altogether? Or maybe I could replace it with an extra tablespoon of agave. Would that work?
Many thanks.
P.S.: I’d like to sprinkle them with green sugar, though. It is just so appropriate!
SusanV
I’m afraid they’ll be too wet if you do that. Maybe if you add a couple of tablespoons of flour they’ll work, but I can’t guaranty it. Fooling around with baked goods is dangerous! I’d love to know what happens if you try (and I apologize in advance if they flop!)
Azahara
I finally used the original recipe (sugar included). They were delicious! Too good to risk having them flop. Thanks for the warning!
Kat
These were yummy! Thank you for the great recipe!
Laina
Hi Susan,
Zucchini season has my fridge packed. 🙂
I thought I’d give these a try. Question: Can I use flax eggs in place off the Ener-G?
Also, DH has diabetes and I use splenda in place of sugar. Would it be okay to omit the Agave, and would that be enough for swapping flax eggs for the Ener-G? And how much flax eggs should I use?
Frazz
Made these this morning with 1/4 cup applesauce in place of the fake egg– turned out delicious! Also subbed cinnamon for the nutmeg. Great recipe!
Sue
Hi Susan!
I have followed your site but never sent a comment. Love your recipes! I am growing a garden for the first time ever and am hoping for an abundance of zucchini. I saw your recipe for the lemon muffins. How do I make this into a loaf? And how about a recipe for a quick savory bread, with herbs and zucchini? Oh, and what the heck, a sweet zucchini quick bread, maybe with berries, or peaches or apples, depending on the season? Not asking for much, am I? My husband just loves baked goods but they have to be healthy and yours are! Thanks!
sdelany49
Hey Susan,
These look great! Can I substitute flaxseed meal + h2o for the egg replacer??
Thanks for all the amazing recipes. I basically use your site every night! Even my boyfriend is impressed. 🙂 Keep em comin!
Sarah
Susan Voisin
I haven’t tried it, but it should probably work. Hope you enjoy them!
Patricia Reese
These muffins are delicious. I use the foil muffin liners and they separated very nicely.
Megan
I’ve been making these muffins for a couple of years with great success but decided to try a quick bread today instead. I just baked at 350F for 50 mins. Perfect!
Alyssa
I’ve found that most zucchini baked goods are flavored primarily with cinnamon. This lemon-nutmeg combination is extra special, I think, and lends a lighter, fresher flavor to a muffin that’s substantial enough for a quick breakfast. I will be making this repeatedly, I can tell! Thanks!
Princess Naynay
Do you think I could sub flaxmeal + water for the egg replacer? Also, lime for lemon? I don’t have time to go to store…Great sounding recipe! Can’t wait to make em.
Susan Voisin
Yes both of those substitutions should work. Hope you enjoy them!
Toni Cooper
I just took the Zucchini Muffins with Cinnamon-Crumb Topping out of the oven. Yum ! I didnt have whole wheat flour but had garbanzo beans which I turned into flour. Worked perfectly. I’ll be making this again !
Sarah (grafx1)
Just made these for the 1st time today.
My kids LOVE them!
They are 4, 8 and 12 so if that gives you any indication of their greatness, there you go!
As always thanks Susan for creating such a wonderful creation!
Rachel
DELICIOUS!
Elizabeth
Hi Susan, I love you blog! I was wondering if it was possible to make these carrot muffins by simply swapping the zucchini for carrots? The would be perfect for Easter then =}. Thanks.
Laurie Swanson
Did you dry the zucchini after shredding it? I used a very fresh zucchini that was quite watery and I dried it a little but you didn’t say to, so I didn’t thoroughly dry it. Mine baked for about 50 mins. and they’re still dough-y. Wondering if that’s why? The outsides are yummy. Thanks.