Can I use regular all purpose flour instead of whole wheat pastry flour?

You can likely use regular all purpose flour, but the texture might be slightly different. Whole wheat pastry flour or white whole wheat flour provide a tender crumb while keeping the muffin wholesome.

Do I have to squeeze the liquid out of the zucchini?

Yes, absolutely. This is a very important step. Zucchini holds a lot of water, and if you do not squeeze it out, your batter will be too wet, resulting in dense or gummy muffins.

Can I use frozen zucchini?

Yes, you can use frozen shredded zucchini. Just make sure to thaw it completely and squeeze out as much liquid as possible before adding it to the batter.

How should I store these muffins?

Store cooled muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, or in the refrigerator for up to a week. They also freeze beautifully for longer storage.

Can I add other fruits besides blueberries?

Yes, feel free to experiment. Small diced apples, raspberries, or chopped strawberries would likely work well. Keep the total amount of fruit around 1 cup.

My muffins stuck to the liners, what happened?

This can happen sometimes. Make sure to let the muffins cool slightly in the pan before removing them. Also, spraying the inside of the muffin liners with cooking spray before adding the batter provides extra nonstick insurance.

Blueberry Pancake Zucchini Muffins (Healthy & Easy!)

Description

These Healthy Blueberry Zucchini Muffins are wonderfully moist and tender, packed with fresh blueberries and made extra wholesome with shredded zucchini and unsweetened applesauce. Naturally sweetened with pure maple syrup, they are an irresistible treat perfect for breakfast or a snack!

Ingredients

For the Muffins

1 and ½ cups (180 grams) white whole wheat flour or whole wheat pastry flour
1 teaspoon (5 grams) baking soda
1 teaspoon (3 grams) ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon (1.5 grams) fine sea salt
1 cup (115 grams) shredded zucchini, excess moisture squeezed out with a paper towel
½ cup (125 ml) pure maple syrup (or honey)
½ teaspoon (3 ml) pure vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon (1.5 ml) pure almond extract
2 tablespoons (30 ml) olive oil (or melted butter)
⅓ cup (85 ml) unsweetened applesauce (or apple butter)
1 large egg (55 grams)
¼ cup (65 ml) unsweetened almond milk (any milk works well)
1 cup (150 grams) fresh or frozen blueberries

Instructions

Make the Muffin Batter

Get the oven ready. Set the temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Prepare a standard 12-cup muffin pan. You can coat it with nonstick cooking spray or use muffin liners. Using cooking spray helps ensure the muffins do not stick whether using liners or not.
In a large mixing bowl, put together the dry ingredients. This includes the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Mix them lightly. Set this bowl aside for now.
In a different bowl, a medium size is good, add the wet ingredients. Put in the shredded zucchini, maple syrup, vanilla extract, almond extract, olive oil, applesauce, egg, and milk. Mix everything until it is fully combined. Now, add the dry ingredients from the large bowl into this wet mixture. Stir them together until they are just combined. Be careful not to overmix the batter. Gently fold in the fresh or frozen blueberries.
Share the batter evenly among the twelve muffin cups in the prepared pan. Fill each cup about three-quarters of the way full. Bake the muffins for 22 to 30 minutes. You will know they are ready when a toothpick inserted into the middle of a muffin comes out clean. Let the muffins cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. After that, remove the muffins from the pan and put them directly onto the wire rack to finish cooling completely. This recipe makes 12 muffins.

Notes

Here are some helpful ideas and suggestions.

Make it vegan Use a flax egg instead of a regular egg.
Make it gluten free I suggest trying all purpose gluten free flour, chickpea flour, or oat flour. Please note I have not tested this recipe with a gluten free substitute, so I cannot confirm they will work perfectly.
No applesauce on hand I believe one mashed banana would be a good replacement.

Nutrition

Serving Size: 1 muffin
Calories: 121 cal
Sugar: 11.2 g
Fat: 3.1 g
Carbohydrates: 21.9 g
Fiber: 2 g
Protein: 2.7 g