Zucchini Muffins--our most requested recipe!

These delicious, healthy  muffins are hands-down our most requested recipe—they're a regular on rotation at our cooking classes, and when I make them at home, I always get requests for the recipe.  And it's for good reasons: They're vegan (egg and dairy free) and nut-free, which makes them a perfect snack to bring for kids with allergies, and they're also super moist thanks to the addition of freshly grated zucchini and applesauce, which naturally sweetens the muffins without a ton of excess sugar. For this version, we use a combination of coconut oil and coconut sugar. Coconut sugar is considered a healthier sweetener because it's not as refined as a regular white or brown sugar. And coconut oil is considered a natural and healthy fat that can boost good cholesterol and lower the bad kind. If you don't have either on hand, you can easily sub equal parts of vegetable or canola oil or plain old sugar.

These also freezer really well, so we usually make a double batch and stick 'em in the freezer (To prevent stickage, I freeze the muffins first in a single layer on a baking sheet for about an hour before I transfer to a freezer safe container.)

Zucchini Muffins

makes 12 muffins

Ingredients:

1 cup all purpose flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup organic unsweetened applesauce (at room temperature)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/3 cup melted coconut oil

2/3 cup coconut sugar

1 1/2 cups zucchini, shredded (about 2 small zucchini)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin tins or spray with cooking spray.

2. In a large bowl, add the first 6 ingredients (through salt) and whisk to combine.

3. In a separate bowl, combine the applesauce, oil, vanilla and coconut sugar, making sure all the ingredients are first at room temperature (otherwise oil will harden). Let the wet ingredients sit for 5 minutes to allow the coconut sugar to dissolve, then stir until combined.  Stir in zucchini.

4. Pour the wet ingredients into the flour mixture and stir just until the ingredients are combined. Do not over mix.

5. Using a 1/4 cup measure, pour the zucchini mixture evenly into muffins cups.

6. Bake for 22 min or until a toothpick comes out clean. Store at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 48 hours or freeze.