Zucchini Lemon Muffins with Ginger & Nuts

Zucchini is in season somewhere this month, so why wait for summer to stock up on new zucchini recipes. It's barely time to set out plants so, yes, I know I know, I'm rushing our local season by several months. The payoff will come later when facing an overabundance of zucchini, I'll be ready. 

During the past several weeks I've been playing with stuffed zucchini recipes, changing up ingredients and seasonings in pursuit of optimum flavor in addition to scads of health benefits. (posts may or may not follow) All good... until suddenly I couldn't face one more healthy zucchini entree. Okay then, how about a dessert? Zucchini quickbread is an old standby, zucchini-pineapple cake is another tasty treat, but savory zucchini muffins have become our latest favorite. Moist and tangy, lemony and not overly sweet, these little gems are delicious! A bonus feature is they freeze well if we grow tired of them after a few days.

A standard recipe from King Arthur Flour provided the base zucchini muffin recipe, but I didn't stop there. Oh no: swap currants for the required raisins, add some powdered ginger and crystallized ginger, double the lemon impact with more fresh zest and a teaspoon of powdered lemon zest, and then bake in different sizes of muffin tins. All good - so good that the mini muffins disappeared before their photo op. The "regular" size muffins were popular at breakfast and during mid-morning breaks. The larger muffins, baked in a cast iron cornbread pan, were strangely less popular. Commitment issues, perhaps? Evidently it was easier to enjoy several small muffins rather than commit to finishing one larger one. Go figure.

Zucchini Lemon Muffins with Ginger & Nuts

adapted from a classic recipe at King Arthur Flour

Makes 12+ muffins, depending on size of muffin tin used

Dry Ingredients:
2 cups All-Purpose flour
scant 1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 TBS baking powder
1 tsp salt
grated peel of 1 medium lemon
1 tsp powdered lemon peel
1/2 tsp powdered ginger
1 generous cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup dried currants
1/4 cup sweet crystallized ginger bits

Wet Ingredients:
2 large eggs
1/2 cup milk (I used 2%)
1/3 cup canola oil


Plus:
1 cup (packed) shredded zucchini (not drained or squeezed dry)
optional granulated sugar to sprinkle on top before baking

To Prepare:
Preheat the oven to 400 F. Grease or spray a 12-muffin tin (or equivalent). Assemble the ingredients.

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Stir in the remaining dry ingredients.

Use a small bowl and whisk together the wet ingredients. 

Add the wet ingredients to the large bowl of dry ingredients. Use a large spoon and stir to just combine (don't overmix!). Gently fold in the shredded zucchini.

Using a cookie scoop or ladle, add the batter to the prepared muffin tin, filling each opening about 3/4 full. If desired, light sprinkle the top of each muffin with sugar.

Bake 20 to 25 minutes until lightly browned, or the muffins spring back to the touch. (note: times can vary by 5 minutes or more with different size muffins) Remove muffin tins from the oven and rest for 5 minutes on a baking rack. Gently remove from baking tin and serve warm or cool completely before storing, covered or well-wrapped, for up to 3 days at room temperature. Freeze for longer storage.