The Best Zucchini Muffins | Whole Grain

Get ready for the best zucchini muffins ever! So light and fluffy, these whole grain muffins are quick, easy, and delicious (especially with those chocolate chips!).

Well, hello there! Happy Monday! Between the 4th of July holiday and a family trip to Victor, Idaho, and then Montana (where my parents live), I’ve been a little disconnected from all things blogging, social media, life, and laundry.

It’s been a dreamy ten days.

But alas, it’s back to real life.

In fact, we are currently driving through the nowhere wilderness of Montana trekking back home to southwest Idaho, and I feel a great need to get this delicious little recipe for zucchini muffins up and ready for you.

(I’d like to say a big thank you to modern day technology, such as my phone hot spot, that is allowing me to knock out some much needed blog work on this 10 1/2 hour road trip. I’m trying to stay focused so I can move on to a new book I just started #compulsivereader).

I hinted at these glorious muffins on Instagram a while back.

And even though it may not be zucchini season for everyone right now, before some of us know it, we’re going to have the humble, green vegetable coming out of our ears and piling up on our kitchen counters.

Bookmark this recipe. Print it out. Sleep with it under your pillow.

You’re going to want it close by, because these muffins are the best zucchini muffins of my life.

As much as I love this older zucchini muffin recipe, today’s recipe is my favorite of the two. So light and fluffy (even with 100% whole wheat flour!), they are ridiculously delicious.

The first time I made them several months ago (purchasing zucchini at the store in April is painful, but someone’s gotta do it in the name of recipe testing), I forgot the salt.

Ew. Don’t do that. Unless you want a significant and impactful reminder how important a little bit of salt is to a baked good.

It reminds me of the time I forgot the salt in a whole batch of homemade bread (five loaves!), and I cried buckets of tears (and still made my family eat it – the longest week of our lives).

If you remember the salt AND decide you have about 20 minutes (so fast!) to dedicate to the zucchini muffin cause, I have a good feeling you’ll adore these little muffins.

Whether you choose to add chocolate chips or not is up to you.

And while we are talking about important life choices in regards to muffins, another super yummy variation is to use one cup of shredded apples in place of one cup of shredded zucchini! Fantastic.

The recipe really has all the details you need. I note this below, but I love sprinkling a tiny touch of coarse sugar over the top of the whole grain zucchini muffins before they bake.

It adds the most delightful crunch and hint of sweetness! If adding chocolate chips, I usually skip the itty bits of sugar on top, but you could certainly do both. You wild one, you.

JUST A FEW EXTRAS:

{Affiliate links for products below that I’ve bought from Amazon}

-I used this Farberware and this USA muffin tin for this recipe (both great; the USA pan, while a bit more expensive, makes the best muffins with perfectly domed tops – nothing ever sticks)

-These are my favorite nonstick parchment muffin liners

-I usually use my box grater or food processor for shredding; make sure to use the small/fine side or blade

I hope with zucchini season almost upon us (and some of you in the full throes already) that you find time to make these tasty muffins!

What are your other favorite ways to use up zucchini?

One Year Ago: Chocolate Fudge Brownie Cupcakes
Two Years Ago: Simple Thai Beef Satay
Three Years Ago: Simple Skillet Green Beans {The Best Fresh Green Beans Of Your Life}
Four Years Ago: Zucchini Lasagna
Five Years Ago: No-Bake Peanut Butter Chocolate Bars

Yield: 12 muffins

The Best Whole Grain Zucchini Muffins

Prep Time:20 mins

Cook Time:20 mins

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup (5.75 ounces) granulated sugar (can use 1/2 cup for a less sweet muffin)
• 2 large eggs
• 1/3 cup canola, avocado, vegetable or melted coconut oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cups (6.25 ounces) white whole wheat flour (can sub all-purpose)
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups finely shredded zucchini lightly squeezed of excess water (see note), about 10 ounces (measured after wringing)
• 1/2 cup (3 ounces) milk chocolate, semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips (plus more for tops of muffins, if desired), optional
• Raw or coarse sugar for sprinkling on top, optional

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a standard 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners or grease with nonstick cooking spray.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, eggs, oil, and vanilla until well-combined.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture and stir with a wooden spoon or spatula 3-4 times until the batter starts to come together but there are still streaks of flour throughout.
5. Stir in the shredded zucchini and chocolate chips, if using, until the batter is just combined. Don’t overmix! It’s ok if the batter is still slightly lumpy.
6. Divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin tin. Add a few chocolate chips to the top of each muffin for a prettier chocolate chip appearance (totally optional). If making the batter without chocolate chips, sprinkle a bit of raw or coarse sugar over the top of the muffins (again, optional, but super delicious).
7. Bake for 17-22 minutes until the tops spring back lightly to the touch.
8. Let cool for a few minutes in the muffin tin before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. These taste best once cooled, in my opinion (and are delicious the next day, as well).

Notes:

You don’t need to go crazy wringing the water out of the zucchini here. I simply shred the zucchini finely and then take handfuls and give the zucchini a good squeeze over the kitchen sink (with no extra tools like a kitchen towel, etc). A good, healthy squeeze will do just fine. No need to squeeze the guts out of the zucchini for this recipe. I’ve given a weight and general cup measure for the zucchini once it is lightly squeezed.

Want another delicious variation? Sub in 1 cup finely shredded apple (Granny Smith or Honeycrisp are tasty here) for 1 cup of the zucchini (no need to squeeze water out of the apple). So yummy!

All images and text ©Mel’s Kitchen Cafe.

Recipe Source: from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe