Zucchini Carrot Muffins

I was looking for a healthy type of muffin.  I decided to make some using zucchini and carrots.  Sort of like zucchini bread, I guess.  I thought it would be tasty with a cream cheese filling.  Most of the filling seemed to disappear in the muffin, although you could see it and taste it a bit.  I guess I will leave it up to you to decide of you want to add the filling or not.  Either way, they were really good.

Besides the goodness of the zucchini and the carrots, I added 1/2 cup of shredded apples and reduced the oil.  You could use apple sauce, but I didn't have apple sauce and I did have an apple, so there ya go.

 

Zucchini Carrot Muffins

1 cup shredded zucchini
1 cup shredded carrots
1/2 cup peeled, cored and shredded apple or use 1/2 cup apple sauce
1 lemon, zest only
2 eggs
1/4 cup oil, I used canola
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups flour
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Cream Cheese filling, optional

6 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Heat the oven to 350°.  Place muffin cups in a muffin pan.  This recipe made about 18 with using the cream cheese filling.

 

If you are going to make the cream cheese filling, beat the softened cream cheese in a stand mixer.  Then add the sugar and continue to mix.  Add the egg and vanilla and mix until combined.  Set aside.  If you set it in the refrigerator it might make scooping it into the muffin cups easier.

 

Don't peel the zucchini before shredding, but I did peel the carrots. 

 

It took about 2 zucchini and 3 carrots to make one cup each. 

 

I used most of an apple to make 1/2 cup.

In a large bowl mix the eggs, oil and vanilla.  When combined, add the brown sugar and granulated sugar.

 

I sprinkled the spices, baking soda and baking powder on top and mixed some more. 

 

Add the shredded veggies and fruit to the bowl and mix again.

 

Add the flour one cup at a time and mix just until moist.  Fold in the chopped nuts.

 

I have three different cookie scoops.  If you are not making the filling, use the large, ice cream size scoop and one scoop will fill a muffin cup just right. I used the medium size scoop. 

 

Place one medium scoop in a muffin cup and then use the smallest scoop to place the filling on top.  Then cover the filing with one more medium scoop.  It was hard to cover the cream cheese.  It was very runny and so I made a little depression in the first scoop of muffin batter and placed the filling there.  Did you place the filling in the refrigerator?  I didn't think of it until AFTER, but I bet it would make things easier.

 

Bake for about 20 to 25 minutes.  Check with a toothpick in a spot that doesn't have cream cheese.

 

These were really delicious.  Next time I may try to replace some of the flour with almond flour.

I also put 6 unbaked muffins in the freezer.  This recipe made 18 muffins and I didn't need 18 muffins.  Even though we had them for several meals and gave some away.  They were great warmed up the next day.  After the muffins were frozen, I put them in a Ziploc Vacuum bag and will bake them when I don't feel like cooking.  I'm hoping they will be as good as fresh made and then baked.