Recipe Friday (remember these?)
Mar. 4th, 2016 05:17 pmI'm in ur fridge, bringin' recipes back.
When we moved, I donated my muffin tin, because, for some reason, I decided I was done with muffins. This was a vast error, because I missed it immediately, and had to buy another one. I was wrong - muffins are fantastic! Muffins have been my jam all summer, as I dealt with the traditional onslaught of zucchinis. You can freeze them, and just stick them in your lunch box. Chocolate zucchini muffins microwave beautifully and make for an awesome brownie-esque dessert.
ETA:
lilacsigil says I should explain my excellent method of zucchini squishing. If you're baking with zucchini, you need to squish the liquid out as much as possible, which I used to do by hand, or by twisting it in a tea-towel. Then I bought a ricer, so I could make my Nonna's gnocchi, and it occurred to me that it would be a good tool for squishing shredded zucchini. I use the plate with the largest holes, fill the thing with shredded zucchini, and squeeze it really hard. Green zucchini water comes out (which I should use in soup or a smoothie or something, but I never do) and you're left with fairly dry zucchini that mixes well into cakes and bread. I've actually used the ricer more for pressing zucchini than for gnocchi.
I've tweaked these recipes from the original so much that by the time next summer's zucchinis come in, I will have forgotten what I did. So I've transcribed and annotated and put them here for next time.
Zucchini and Orange Muffins
350g zucchinis (this is a bare minimum, I have used up to 2 cups)
200g brown sugar
125 ml vegetable oil
3 large eggs lightly beaten
Zest of 1 orange (or lemon or lime or whatever's on hand)
1 tsp vanilla extract
100g sultanas
300g self-raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
Method
Heat oven to 180C/160C fan. Put paper cases into muffin tray. Finely grate the zucchini, then squeeze out as much liquid as you can, using hands or a tea-towel.
Stir the zucchini with the sugar, vegetable oil, eggs, zest, vanilla, poppy seeds and sultanas, then fold in the flour and baking powder until they disappear, but don’t overmix.
Spoon into muffin cups, filling to the brim. (They don't rise much) Bake for 30 mins or until a skewer inserted comes out clean. Remove from the tin and cool on a wire rack.
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Zucchini Corn and Cheese Muffins
2 cups self-raising flour
Two handfuls of zucchini, grated
1/2 cup frozen corn
1/3 cup fresh herbs (basil or parsley or oregano or chives)
1/3 cup parmesan, grated
1 cup cheese, grated
1 cup milk
1/4 cup olive oil
2 eggs
Preheat oven to 180°C. Line muffin tin with paper cases.
In a large bowl place the flour, zucchini, corn, chopped herbs, parmesan and cheddar cheese and mix to combine. Separately, mix the milk, oil and eggs and whisk to combine. Pour the wet ingredients into the well of the dry and mix until just combined.
Scoop into muffin cups, filling to the top. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown and springy. Turn them out onto a rack as soon as you can touch them without burning fingers.
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Double Chocolate Zucchini Muffins
1 cup flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp instant coffee
1 cup chocolate chips
2 large eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup caster sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups shredded raw zucchini
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Coat a muffin tin with cooking spray.
Combine flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and whisk together. Mix in chocolate chips.
Whisk eggs, add oil, sugars, vanilla extract. Dissolve coffee in a little bit of water and add to wet ingredients. Stir in zucchini until well coated. Add dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
Spoon into muffin cups, and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until skewer comes out clean. Allow to cool slightly then turn out onto a rack.
From the bag of mixed heirloom zucchini seeds, we ended up with three varieties: cocozelle, grey, and yellow crookneck squash. They were all good, except the crooknecks turned into little gourds very fast. (Also, they were warty. I want to grow heirloom vegetables, but wow, those crooknecks were ugly.)
Next to a cocozelle, which were lovely but huuuuge. (For scale, the yellow squash would have fitted into the palm of my hand.)

When we moved, I donated my muffin tin, because, for some reason, I decided I was done with muffins. This was a vast error, because I missed it immediately, and had to buy another one. I was wrong - muffins are fantastic! Muffins have been my jam all summer, as I dealt with the traditional onslaught of zucchinis. You can freeze them, and just stick them in your lunch box. Chocolate zucchini muffins microwave beautifully and make for an awesome brownie-esque dessert.
ETA:
I've tweaked these recipes from the original so much that by the time next summer's zucchinis come in, I will have forgotten what I did. So I've transcribed and annotated and put them here for next time.
Zucchini and Orange Muffins
350g zucchinis (this is a bare minimum, I have used up to 2 cups)
200g brown sugar
125 ml vegetable oil
3 large eggs lightly beaten
Zest of 1 orange (or lemon or lime or whatever's on hand)
1 tsp vanilla extract
100g sultanas
300g self-raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
Method
Heat oven to 180C/160C fan. Put paper cases into muffin tray. Finely grate the zucchini, then squeeze out as much liquid as you can, using hands or a tea-towel.
Stir the zucchini with the sugar, vegetable oil, eggs, zest, vanilla, poppy seeds and sultanas, then fold in the flour and baking powder until they disappear, but don’t overmix.
Spoon into muffin cups, filling to the brim. (They don't rise much) Bake for 30 mins or until a skewer inserted comes out clean. Remove from the tin and cool on a wire rack.
---
Zucchini Corn and Cheese Muffins
2 cups self-raising flour
Two handfuls of zucchini, grated
1/2 cup frozen corn
1/3 cup fresh herbs (basil or parsley or oregano or chives)
1/3 cup parmesan, grated
1 cup cheese, grated
1 cup milk
1/4 cup olive oil
2 eggs
Preheat oven to 180°C. Line muffin tin with paper cases.
In a large bowl place the flour, zucchini, corn, chopped herbs, parmesan and cheddar cheese and mix to combine. Separately, mix the milk, oil and eggs and whisk to combine. Pour the wet ingredients into the well of the dry and mix until just combined.
Scoop into muffin cups, filling to the top. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown and springy. Turn them out onto a rack as soon as you can touch them without burning fingers.
---
Double Chocolate Zucchini Muffins
1 cup flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp instant coffee
1 cup chocolate chips
2 large eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup caster sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups shredded raw zucchini
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Coat a muffin tin with cooking spray.
Combine flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and whisk together. Mix in chocolate chips.
Whisk eggs, add oil, sugars, vanilla extract. Dissolve coffee in a little bit of water and add to wet ingredients. Stir in zucchini until well coated. Add dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
Spoon into muffin cups, and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until skewer comes out clean. Allow to cool slightly then turn out onto a rack.
From the bag of mixed heirloom zucchini seeds, we ended up with three varieties: cocozelle, grey, and yellow crookneck squash. They were all good, except the crooknecks turned into little gourds very fast. (Also, they were warty. I want to grow heirloom vegetables, but wow, those crooknecks were ugly.)
Next to a cocozelle, which were lovely but huuuuge. (For scale, the yellow squash would have fitted into the palm of my hand.)

no subject
Date: 2016-03-04 09:08 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2016-03-05 12:24 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2016-03-04 07:58 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2016-03-05 12:21 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2016-03-06 12:42 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2016-03-06 10:14 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2016-03-06 09:39 pm (UTC)And wow, yeah, that is one big zucchini there.
no subject
Date: 2016-03-09 01:03 am (UTC)Hope one of the recipes works for you!
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Date: 2016-03-07 01:27 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2016-03-09 01:05 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2016-03-07 01:53 am (UTC)I am going to try those choc-zucchini muffins this week!
no subject
Date: 2016-03-09 01:04 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2016-03-17 02:28 am (UTC)