Lightly spiced with ginger, cinnamon, cloves and molasses, these zucchini muffins are a great way to dip into your summer zucchini glut.
I bring you this recipe for zucchini muffins because, in the middle of summer, who isn’t looking for ways to use up zucchini! Once they start producing in the garden, they don’t stop!
Zucchini in Baking
Zucchini are a very versatile veg. They’re mild in flavour which makes them a great vessel for stronger flavours. Zucchini in baking works great for this reason. It also brings moisture and tenderness to baked goods too .
In these gingerbread zucchini muffins, I’ve added the flavours of molasses, ginger, cloves and cinnamon. The zucchini brings the moist texture, the spices and molasses bring the rest.
The Zucchini Muffin Ingredients
The ingredients are listed in the recipe card at the bottom of this post, but I will do a run through here so you know what you need!
Butter and Sugar- Butter is a key flavour in this gingerbread muffin. It’s melted and mixed with both white and brown sugar.
Eggs + Milk – For structure and binding.
Spices and Molasses- Cinnamon, ginger, a little bit of cloves and blackstrap molasses are what brings the flavours in this muffin. You could substitute the molasses with golden syrup, honey or maple syrup but that would be a shame as I find it a key flavour.
Flour, Baking powder, Baking soda + Salt – The usual suspects in a muffin recipe.
Zucchini – Well, considering this is zucchini muffin, this obviously needs to be here! You’ll need a cup of grated zucchini (or, marrow if you’ve let yours grow to far!) I use a box grater to grate mine.
Lemon Glaze – The lemon glaze on top (for a zesty touch) is lemon juice, icing sugar and a dash of milk.
The Muffin Method
Step 1 – Grate the zucchini and set it aside.
Step 2. Melt the butter, then add it to a bowl along with brown sugar and white sugar and molasses. Mix it well together then beat in the egg, followed by the zucchini.
Step 3. In a separate bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and spices together. Mix well so there are no lumps. Set it aside.
Step 4. Add half the flour mixture to the zucchini mix, along with half the milk and fold it gently. Then add the remaining flour and milk. Fold it very gently until just combined.
Step 5 – Spoon it into lined or greased muffin trays and bake.
The Lemon Glaze
Once the muffins have cooled, you can ice them with a zesty lemon glaze. Lemon goes very well with the flavours of gingerbread.
It’s a very simple glaze of only lemon juice, icing sugar and milk so you can whip it together in a minute or less. Once mixed into a thick but droppable paste, you can use a spoon to drizzle it over the muffins.
Substitutions
- The zucchini can be substituted for grated kamo kamo, carrot, or pumpkin
- The molasses can be substituted with honey, maple syrup or golden syrup but these won’t add the same flavour to the zucchini muffin
More zucchini recipes
Apple and zucchini fruit leather
Have you made this? Tag me and let me know! @home_grown_happinessnz
Gingerbread Zucchini Muffins
Ingredients
The Muffins
- 110 grams unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup soft brown sugar, packed 100g
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar 55g
- 2 Tbsp blackstrap molasses
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup grated zucchini
- 2 cups all-purpose flour 300g
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1/4 tsp ground cloves
- 1/2 cup milk
The Glaze
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice
- 3/4 cup icing sugar
- 1 tsp milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (356°F). Grease or line a 12 muffin tray.
- Melt the butter, then add it to a bowl and let it slightly cool. Add in the brown and white sugar and the molasses and mix it together. Beat in the egg.
- Mix in the grated zucchini.
- In a separate bowl mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices so that there are no lumps.
- Add half the flour mixture to the zucchini mix, along with half the milk and fold it gently. Then add the remaining flour and milk. Fold it very gently until just combined.
- Scoop the mixture evenly into the 12 muffin tray. Bake the muffins for 16-18 minutes until the top of the muffin springs back when touched, or a skewer inserted in a muffin comes out clean.
- Remove the muffins from the tray and allow them to cool.
- Once the muffins have cooled, make the glaze by mixing the ingredients together into a thick but droppable paste. You may need to add more icing sugar or milk as needed. Drizzle the glaze over the muffins.
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