Today is my birthday and since I took the day off I had time this morning to make myself a special breakfast. My son requested these muffins last week so I had all the ingredients ready. These muffins are our favorite. As my son stood next to me on his stool while I mixed up the batter we discussed how he likes zucchini but only in muffins. I think that is good progress towards him understanding that just because he might not like something prepared one way that he might like it if prepared in a different way. This conversation with my son was inspired by a post I read on Food with Kid Appeal. It really got me thinking about how the way we talk about food could prejudice us against certain foods for a very long time. Like how cooked peas would make me gag as a child and I generally avoid peas but it’s very possible that it was the way the peas were prepared and not necessarily the peas. The difference is between saying “I don’t like peas” and “I didn’t like peas when I was a kid” or “I don’t like boiled frozen peas.” Next week I’ll be looking for a recipe with peas to get me past that childhood aversion and I’ll also be explaining all this to the kids while I do it. Now on to the recipe… this is adapted from a cookbook I received as a wedding gift called “Muffin Mania” and I’ve changed the recipe to include applesauce instead of a cup of oil.
Zucchini Muffins (adapted from Muffin Mania)
Into a large bowl mix:
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 2 tsp. baking soda
- 2 tsp. cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp. nutmeg
- 1/8 tsp. ginger
- 1/8 tsp. allspice
- 1/2 tsp. salt
Stir in:
- 2 cups grated zucchini
- 1 apple peeled, cored and grated
The batter should look like this before you add the egg/oil/applesauce mixture.
In another bowl, beat:
- 3 eggs
- 2 tsp. vanilla
- 1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce
- 1/2 cup oil (vegetable or canola)
Stir into flour mixture until batter is just combined. Spoon into well greased muffin cups, filled to the top. (Note: If you are using muffin liners you need to spray with cooking spray to prevent the muffins from sticking to the paper.)
Bake at 350° for 20 minutes.
The kids LOVE these muffins.
Try It You Might Like It 
YUM! I’ll definitely be trying these – I love baking with zucchini. I made a zucchini loaf and my husband and I polished it off in less than 24 hours, haha, the shame! The muffins won’t make us feel so guilty 😉
xxMK
Delightful Bitefuls
I just discovered your blog, and I love what you are trying to do to expand your family’s palate.
My mom is a picky eater and not a very good cook, so I grew up thinking that all sorts of of foods were yucky based on her example. And, when she made things, like peas, they were mushy and from a can. Turns out I DO like peas, and most other things she made, if they are prepared in a different way.
Your children will thank your for this later. I wish I had been enjoying more foods before my twenties!
Great post. You’re totally right about how we perceive the food we “don’t like.” I’ve found that I’m so much more willing to try things now than I ever was as a kid – even things I thought I didn’t like. It was probably all in the preparation. Lots of times, I won’t tell my husband or the kids what exactly they’re eating until they’ve tried it. : ) I have “secret ingredients” and they might think they don’t like them, ya know? Like the zucchini muffins…. I’d have to disguise those with some chocolate – which I have done. (I posted that recipe a long time ago if you want to go peek at it.) They ate a ton of zucchini and never knew it.
Oh! I have a pea salad recipe for you to try! http://oneordinaryday.wordpress.com/2009/07/17/pea-salad/ Please tell me if it changes your mind about peas. : )
These are delicious! I’m currently growing zucchini in my garden and am baking lots of muffins/breads!
As a zucchini grower you need LOTS for good recipes. My muffins are great for freezing especially when you’ve got too much zucchini. Thanks for visiting.
These are scrumptious! I altered the recipie just a little bit to add flax seeds and blueberries (some with chocolate chips for my brother) and used brown sugar instead of white. The are so delicious! The apple is genius I say!
Well done 🙂
I got this recipe through parenting.com and have made it twice already. We love these muffins! I even made them for my daughter to bring to preschool for her birthday celebration snack and her teacher said the kids liked them. I added a shredded carrot and some ground flaxseed meal to the recipe. Delicious!
Thanks Laura! I’m so glad that you’re enjoying them. I must try it with carrot and flaxseed too.
Happy Birthday Janna! I am so glad you posted this since I just got a big, homegrown Zucchini from my mom. I think you are right about how we talk about food to our kids or even ourselves. It does color the way we see a particular food. I used to think I don’t like cauliflower and then I saw one roasted (it may have been here my memory bites these days) with olive oil and decided to give it a go. Now I LOVE roasted cauliflower. You’re right, it’s sometimes just the recipe we tried or the preparation or that fact that it’s canned or frozen.
Thank you so much for these! they are the best zucchini muffins EVER!!! You are a genius! my 18 mos old son eats them, and he can be such a picky veggie eater!