My zucchini and pepperoni pizza took care of half a zucchini, but 27 more sat chilling in my fridge. And although I find both zucchini bread and muffins irresistible, I wanted something slightly more creative, something that reflected the warm spring sunshine that finally made an appearance this past weekend. A bag of juicy lemons picked from my parents’ backyard caught my eye, and the wheels in my brain started turning.Â
After a few minutes of flipping through my binder of saved recipes, I found the one I wanted. I made a batch of lemon-zucchini muffins last summer when I got myself into the same “sale-on-zucchini” predicament, and both then and now, the baked beauties were gobbled up the minute I pulled them out of the oven.
Lemon-Zucchini Muffins
modified from CL’s Lemon-Zucchini MuffinsÂ
I add extra lemon zest for a brighter lemon flavor, and you can even mix a bit of zest in with some sugar to sprinkle on top. These will keep in the refrigerator in a Ziploc bag for up to a week. Just pop in the microwave for a few seconds for a tasty pick-me-up!
2 c. flour
½ c. sugar
1 tsp baking powder
ÂĽ tsp salt
ÂĽ tsp ground nutmeg
zest from 1 lemon
1 medium zucchini, shredded
Âľ c. skim milk
juice from 1 lemon
3 tbsp vegetable oil
1 egg
1 tsp sugar (opt.)
- Preheat oven to 400°. Lightly spray 12 muffin cups with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour through lemon zest. Make a well in the center.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together zucchini through egg. Pour wet ingredients into the well in the flour mixture, and stir until just incorporated. Do not over-stir!
- Evenly distribute the muffin batter between the muffin cups. Sprinkle the top of each with a pinch of sugar, if using. Bake at 400° for 20-25 minutes until tops turn golden. Remove immediately from muffin cups and cool on a wire rack.
Wow! That’s fantastic! I love savory muffins, but most of all I love zucchini! I’d eat them every day (well, that’s what I actually do… that’s why I planted some in a pot… :P). A good idea for a party!
Thank you! Zucchini is one of my go-to vegetables as well, although I haven’t had great luck with growing veggies or herbs in pots… Any suggestions on avoiding a “brown thumb?”
can whole wheat flour be substituted for all purpose flour in the lemon zucchini muffins?
I haven’t tried that substitution before, but I think so! I’d suggest trying half whole wheat and half all-purpose to begin with, or another option would be to add a tiny bit more milk — just a tablespoon or two — because whole wheat flour is slightly more absorbant than all-purpose (and can dry out baked goods). Hope that helps, Sandra!
I have made these and they are delicious! do you know if they freeze well?
I’m so happy you liked the muffins Angela! They’ve never lasted long enough in my house to try freezing, but I imagine that they should. 🙂
I just found your blog today and have printed a number of recipes…the chocolate oatmeal is what got me! Anyway, I have a quick question….. I have frozen zucchini and am wondering how many cups 1 zucchini would equal?
Thanks for printing so many recipes Jennifer! I’ve actually never had enough zucchini to freeze, so I don’t personally know. I hope you enjoy the muffins if you try them!