Healthy Pumpkin Zucchini Muffins

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Healthy Pumpkin Zucchini Muffins

Prep Time10

Cook Time22

Course: Breakfast, Snacks

Cuisine: American

Keyword: healthy muffins, pumpkin muffins, Zucchini Muffin

Servings: Muffins

Author: Meghan McMorrow | Fox and Briar

Ingredients

¼ cup butter melted
1/2 cup greek yogurt
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup milk
3/4 cup pumpkin puree
1 cup grated zucchini squeeze to remove excess water
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Dry ingredients

1 and 3/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 tsp pumpkin spice
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

Add ins

1 cup mini chocolate chips optional. Reserve about 1/4 cup to sprinkle on top before baking. Regular sized chocolate chips will also work.

Instructions

Move oven rack to the center of the oven, preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Prepare a 12-well muffin tin by either spraying with cooking spray OR lining with parchment paper muffin liners (do not use regular liners, they will stick).
In one bowl, combine the WET ingredients, mixing well.
In a second bowl, combine the DRY ingredients, mixing well.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Use a spatula to mix the two together just until no dry spots of flour are visible. DO NOT over mix. Do not use an electric mixer, this is best done by hand.
Add mini chocolate chips and stir one or two times until just mixed in. Reserve about 1/4 cup of the chocolate chips to sprinkle on top of the muffins before baking.
Portion out the batter evenly between the 12 muffin wells. I use an ice cream scoop to make this easy. Sprinkle a few chocolate chips on top of each muffin.
Place muffin tin in the center rack in the oven, set timer for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes of baking at 425 degrees F, reduce the heat to 350 degrees F and set a timer for 17 minutes. Keep the muffins in the oven when you do this, do not remove them or open the oven door.
Bake for the additional 17 minutes, and up to 22 minutes. Check to see if muffins are done by inserting a toothpick into the center of a muffin. If it comes out clean, they are done. Remove from oven and as soon as cool enough to handle remove the muffins from the muffin tin and place on a cooling rack to finish cooling.
Muffins can be kept at room temperature in an airtight container for about 2 days or frozen for up to 3 months. See freezing instructions below.

Notes

- The most important tip that I can never say enough is DON'T OVERMIX YOUR BATTER. This is why we first mix the dry ingredients really well, then mix the wet ingredients really well, then add them together and carefully mix until just combined and you don't see any dry spots of flour anymore.

- Start with a hotter temperature, then reduce after 5 minutes - we start at 425 degrees F and then after baking for just five minutes, then keeping the muffins in the oven, reduce the heat to 350 F. The initial blast of heat activates the baking powder and will help the muffins rise higher. Don't forget to turn down the heat after 5 minutes or the muffins will burn.

- Measure your zucchini before squeezing out the moisture. After you measure out one cup, use a clean towel (or paper towels) to squeeze out as much excess moisture from the zucchini as possible. This will help keep your muffins from getting gummy.

- Don't use paper liners - only use parchment liners, or spray the muffin tins liberally with cooking spray and use no liners. I swear by THESE parchment paper liners.
- These muffins freeze beautifully. Allow the muffins to cool completely on a rack before freezing. Then they can be individually wrapped in plastic wrap if you like and stored in a freezer bag. They will keep for up to three months if properly stored.

Nutrition