Banana Zucchini Muffins
Digging in the freezer the other day, I realized I managed to forget about three bags of frozen shredded zucchini from last summer. Whoops.
The good new is, frozen zucchini lasts forever.
The bad news is, I wonder how long it would’ve stayed hidden had I not been burrowing down to the bottom of our freezer chest.
Oh well. There are worse problems to have!
Shredded zucchini is the perfect muffin combo to go with the couple of straggling, over-ripe bananas I always seem to have on my counter.
The addition of zucchini and banana to muffin batter keeps baked muffins moist (never mind tasty!), so even if we don’t eat them within a couple days (I mean, seriously, they hardly ever last longer than that), the muffins still stay yummy and fresh throughout the week, and even into the next.
When zucchini’s in season, I peel and shred as many as I can get my hands on, then freeze it in two-cup portions, flattened in zip top freezer bags. It thaws remarkably quick, and for baked goods you typically don’t need to worry about straining the liquid before adding it to the batter. So. Freakin’. Practical.
My daughter LOVES zucchini bread and muffins in her school lunch, slathered with cream cheese. And I love it warmed up with butter for breakfast (or a late night snack).
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup canola oil
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 3 medium zucchini, peeled & grated
- 3 over-ripe bananas, mashed
- Preheat the oven to 325°F and place 24 liners in cupcake pans.
- Use a hand-held mixer to combine the eggs and oil in a large bowl. Once it looks light yellow and creamy, add the sugar and vanilla and continue beating for 2 minutes.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and continue mixing with the hand-held mixer until they’re combined. The mixture will be thick!
- Add the mashed bananas and shredded zucchini, and continue mixing until everything’s just combined—about 30 seconds.
- Fill each liner just over halfway with the batter. Bake them for about 20 minutes, or until the tops bounce back when you gently press on them.
- Remove the muffins from the pan and let them cool completely on a wire rack.
Niki
I know this is an old post, but I was so surprised no one has commented yet that I had to be the first! I ran across your recipe on Pinterest this summer while looking to use up old bananas and extra zucchini. I thought using kosher salt was really strange, but I’m so glad I did! I loved the added flavor and when I would occasionally bite into a tiny, still-solid crystal of salt…Amazing! My husband also loved it, and we’ve made the recipe twice since then.
Liza Hawkins
Awesome!!! So glad you liked it!
Marilyn
How much zucchini did you use? I mean measurement wise. Thank you…these look great!
Liza Hawkins
Hi Marilyn! That works out to about 2 cups, but honestly it’s pretty forgiving. So a little less or a little more and it’ll be fine.