Monday, July 25, 2011

Carrot Zucchini Muffins with Candied Ginger

Posted by Erin Wilburn / 11 comments » / breakfast, csa

When I picked up our most recent CSA box, what first caught my eye was the multiple HUGE zucchinis!  I knew they’d be perfect to shred up and put in a baked good.  In the past, I’ve made Zucchini Spice Cupcakes, which were fantastic.  Then I remembered this recipe I had recently bookmarked that caught my eye via Twitter.  Combining zucchini with carrots would add color & texture, and since I’ve been really loving ginger lately (I don’t think that addiction will ever end!), I was definitely intrigued by this combo.  The cool thing is, when I followed the trail of links for this recipe (I saw it on The Sweets Life, who saw it on Teenie Cakes), it originally came from a book called Eating Local: The Cookbook Inspired by America’s Farmers.  I think that sounds like a great cookbook for someone (like me!) who is a member of a CSA, someone who is growing a garden, or someone who just loves to shop the Farmer’s Market.

As it turned out, my coworker invited us out to our favorite local taproom for a couple beers to celebrate her birthday the same day I picked up my CSA share.  I know she’s a health nut enthusiast, so I thought muffins would be a great way to add to the celebration of her day.

When making these, I thought the amount of sugar seemed like it could probably be reduced, but I didn’t want to fool too much with the recipe.  After baking them, I think my assumption was right.  Next time, I’d reduce the sugar from 1 1/4 cups to 1 cup.  But, even with the full amount, they aren’t overly sweet, I’d just rather start the day off with a little less sugar if possible.  But for the birthday girl, I slathered on some leftover Honey Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting I had in the freezer!  These muffins were moist but sturdy, and definitely tasty.  A great breakfast treat to have on hand.

PS. If you, like me, used a HUGE zucchini & end up with leftover shredded zucchini, make Shredded Zucchini Fritters!

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Carrot Zucchini Muffins with Candied Ginger

Yield: 18 Muffins

The original recipe called for 2 cups all purpose flour and 1 cup whole wheat flour. But because I keep white whole wheat flour on hand, and found it satisfactory in baked goods such as muffins, I used 2 cups white whole wheat flour and 1 cup all purpose. Feel free to use any ratio you'd like.

Also, I left the sugar listed as 1 1/4 cups, but I think you could reduce it to 1 cup if you want a slightly healthier muffin.

Ingredients:

2 cups white whole wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp kosher salt
1/4 cup crystallized ginger, cut into small pieces
3 large eggs
1 cup canola or vegetable oil
1 1/4 cups sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup grated carrots
1 cup grated zucchini
1/2 cup walnuts

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350F. Spray muffin pan with cooking spray and set aside (or use liners).

In a medium bowl, sift together flours, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, and baking powder. Mix in the salt and crystallized ginger.

Whisk eggs in a separate bowl until foamy. Mix in oil, sugar, and vanilla, whisking until sugar dissolves. Stir in carrots, zucchini, and walnuts.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, stirring just until combined. Divide batter evenly amongst prepared muffin cups.

Bake for 20-22 minutes until muffins have risen and an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

adapted from The Sweets Life, Teenie Cakes; originally from Eating Local: The Cookbook Inspired by America's Farmers