The corona lockdown is sending some of us into the kitchen, not only to gorge on snacks, but to cook and bake, often as a family activity. These wonderful zucchini muffins fit the bill. With a little adult supervision and set-up, they are so easy to make that even a child can make them.
They are sweeter than most muffins and work well as a dessert, and since they are parve, can even be eaten after a Sabbath meat meal! The muffin gems also work well to round out a tray of fancy cakes or sweets, since some people are looking for something plainer. Finally, it’s a great way to get kids to eat fresh vegetables! They’ll be more likely to eat something they’ve made, and they won’t really be able to taste the zucchini, or sense its presence, though they’ll certainly know it’s there: after all, they’re the chefs!
Zucchini Muffin Gems (Pareve)
Yield: 9 muffins
Ingredients:
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- ¼ cup oil
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg (use a nutmeg grater, or the fine holes of a box grater)
- 1 cup finely grated zucchini (about ¼ pound)
- ¼ cup yellow raisins, finely chopped with large chef’s knife
- ¼ cup chopped pecans
Method:
- Preheat oven to 350°
- Combine the sugar, egg, and oil in a large bowl. Mix well.
- Sift the flour with the baking powder, baking soda, salt, and nutmeg in a medium bowl. Stir this into the sugar-egg mixture.
- Add the zucchini, raisins, and pecans, and stir until just mixed.
- Spoon batter into muffin or cupcake tins lined with cupcake papers, filling each paper cup about two-thirds full.
- Bake until muffins are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 25 minutes.
Note: these freeze well in a plastic freezer box.