Healthy Muffins for a quick breakfast or snack (dairy free, too!)

Tamara Nugteren




Zucchinis and pumpkins are sure signs of fall.

Zucchinis have never been one of my favorite foods, but I'm learning new ways to eat them as I get older.  This year, for the first time, I actually used zucchinis in roasted vegetable blends for dinner and in stir frys.  A big step for me! It was pretty good, so I'll keep it in the mix.  Savory is new to me, but not sweet.  I've always liked zucchinis that way - but this recipe is SO MUCH BETTER than any version of zucchini bread.  Of course, the trouble with the Autumn harvest is keeping it available to use all winter.  Especially if you are lucky enough to grow them or have someone who loves you growing them.

Saving zucchinis for baking isn't hard - it just takes a little time.  Do a bunch at once and you'll have a winter's worth for baking. Here are my zucchini totals - just so you know what you might get:

This year, I purchased zucchinis.  I could only find
the small ones, but larger ones work just as well.

12 small Zucchini = 14-16 cups shredded = 11 1-cup portions (water and air squeezed out.)

Grating.

Grated zucchini has a lot of moisture in it.
Squeeze and drip it out through a colander.

One cup portions, drained and zipped up in baggies.
Get as much air out as possible. 

Chocolate Zucchini Muffins (Dairy Free)
Dry ingredients
- 1 cup flour*
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1/3 cup cocoa powder
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 1 tsp. cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp. salt
(Consider making extra batches of the dry ingredients, zipping it up into baggies and putting it into your pantry for next time!)

Wet ingredients
- 1/2 cup milk or milk substitute; I use unsweetened almond milk.
- 2 tsp. vinegar (omit if using regular milk)
- 1/4 cup oil (vegetable, canola or coconut)
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 1/2 c. boiling water
- 1 cup shredded zucchini
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips (I use dairy free.  Trader Joes and Ghiradelli Semi-Sweets both are.)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease muffin tin and/or liners**.

In a medium bowl, whisk together dry ingredients. (Or, just pull them out of your pantry if you are using some you have set aside from earlier!)  In another bowl, whisk together all wet ingredients EXCEPT zucchini and chocolate chips. Pour wet mixture and dry mixture together and blend thoroughly.  Mixture will be very thin.  Stir in the zucchini.

Fill muffin cups 3/4 full.  These muffins don't raise much, so if you shouldn't have any problems with overflowing.

My favorite muffin pan - Pampered Chef stoneware.

The batter is REALLY thin.  Don't worry.

Drop the chocolate chips onto the top of the filled muffin cups by hand - the mixture is so thin that if you do it earlier in the process they just sink to the bottom of the bowl and you don't get them evenly into each muffin.  Or at all.

Ready to go in the oven - see the chocolate chips on top?
Some will sink in - even better.

The final product - moist, chocolatey and utterly delicious.

I had more muffin batter than would fit into 12 cups, so
I'm using the extra to make "muffin tops".  A little frosting
between two and I have homemade Whoopie Pies!

Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.  These are extra moist muffins!

Eat some now...

... and freeze some for later.

I call this breakfast OR snack. Yum.

Notes:
* I use my own flour blend of 50% all purpose flour and 50% whole wheat pastry flour.  Whole wheat pastry flour has all the nutritional benefits or regular whole wheat flour, but it is ground more finely and it much more "usable" in baking.  I haven't switched over to 100% whole wheat because it is just too difficult to bake with. The result is very "heavy".  This way, I get the best of both worlds. 
** I really love my Pampered Chef stoneware muffin pan.  You'll see me using it in recipes a lot.  I'm sure there are competitors who sell this as well, if you are interested.  The qualities of the stoneware allow me to bake without muffin liners, which I love.