Friday, September 2, 2011

Banana Zucchini And More Muffins

So every once in a while I like to make really big batches of muffins with my kids, usually a few different varieties, and whatever we don't eat in the first day or two gets individually wrapped in plastic wrap and put into the freezer.  In the morning for breakfast the kids just take a muffin out of the freezer and pop it into the microwave for 30 seconds and there's a yummy breakfast!  They taste awesome!  So this time I used a new recipe.  I got my inspiration from a recipe at allrecipes.com and I switched it up a bit.  Here is their link: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/banana-zucchini-bread/detail.aspx
I used most of the structure of their recipe and changed it a bit.  I also doubled the recipe, then split it in half and made one half with blueberries and the other with chocolate chips!  YUMMMY! Don't these just look delish?  If you have trouble keeping both bananas and zucchini on hand at the same time do this... when your fresh bananas become browned, put them in the freezer, peels and all, and when you're ready to use them just thaw them on the counter or run warm water over them until easy to peel.  For the zucchini, you can pre-shred your zucchini and store in freezer bags.  Store 2 cups in each bag and pull it out when you're ready to use it.  This way you make muffins when your freezer is bursting with bananas and zucchini!
Here's what you'll need if you double the recipe and do it my way:
5 eggs
1 cup oil
1/2 cup apple sauce
1 cup white sugar
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
4 tsp vanilla extract
4 cups zucchini, shredded
5 bananas, mashed
7 cups flour
2 TBSP ground cinnamon
3 tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp salt
1 cup frozen or fresh blueberries
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
*This can make 4 loaves or I ended up with 53 muffins!

To make muffins:  First preheat the oven to 325 degrees and prepare muffin pans with paper liners or grease the pan.  Then get all your ingredients ready.
Pour eggs into a large mixing bowl.
Mix well until frothy.  I used an electric mixer.
Now add the oil, apple sauce, white sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla.
Mix until well combined.
Now add the mashed banana and shredded zucchini and mix it up.  In a separate bowl mix the flour with the cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Slowly add the flour mixture to the egg mixture until all is added and blended. This is where I had to switch to a bigger bowl.  
Now separate the mixture into two bowls.  This is also a good time to take a break to throw your 4 year old in the bath who fell asleep an hour ago but you didn't bother to put a diaper on him so he had an accident and you need to clean him up and throw his sheets and clothes in the wash.  If this didn't happen to you then just skip that step and move on! 
To one of the bowls add 1 cup of chocolate chips. Fold them in.
And to the other bowl add the blueberries.  Fold them in.
Now fill your muffin tins with the mixtures and bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes.  Mine took 23 minutes but keep in mind that I live at a high elevation.  Mine turned out perfect.  Golden brown on top and moist and fluffy inside.  I counted before bed and 12 of these were devoured before I started wrapping the rest to freeze.