Today my older 3 kiddos got on the bus and headed off to school! I was kind of looking forward to the house being a little (a lot actually) quieter, but I miss those guys already! My youngest starts Pre K next week, so this morning after we took the “1st Day of School Pictures” and everyone left, I sat down on the sofa with her and turned on Mary Poppins while I finished my coffee. Boy, I just love that movie. The songs alone are just spectacular…and beautiful like “Feed The Birds.” As I headed into the kitchen to bake these yummy Apple & Zucchini Muffins for an after school snack, I quietly sang that song. I think it will be in my head all day!
These muffins are the perfect combination of summer and fall. I still have zucchini coming out of my garden and I’m starting to harvest some apples off of our young apple trees. Since the temperatures are still in the 80’s, these mini muffins aren’t too much “Fall” yet!
Freshly grated zucchini and chopped apples are mixed in a whole wheat and cinnamon batter for tasty muffins that are delicious for breakfast or a snack. This recipe is made with no butter or oil so they’re a pretty healthy treat too.
There’s something about that mini size that children just love…even if they are older children or even adults! Maybe it’s the idea that you can have 4 or 5 instead of 1, or that they are just so darn cute! Either way, these scrumptious little bites are a lovely way to use some of the fresh fruits and vegetables that are readily available this time of year while baking up something special for your family.
This recipe makes 4 dozen mini muffins and they are freezer friendly too. So if you’ve got a few minutes this week, bake a few dozen of these for your family. They go great with a cup of coffee in the morning too! 😉
Ingredients
- 4 eggs
- 3/4 cup apple sauce, chunky or regular
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 1 cup brown sugar, packed
- 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
- 1 1/2 cups white flour
- 2 tsp. baking soda
- 1/2 tsp. baking powder
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp. cloves
- 1 3/4 cup zucchini, shredded
- 1 large apple or 2 small, peeled and chopped (about 1 cup)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
- In your Kitchen Aid Mixer, lightly beat the eggs with the applesauce and vanilla.
- Add the sugar and the rest of the dry ingredients and mix until incorporated.Your batter will look a little dry.
- Add the zucchini and the chopped apples.
- Mix until combined well.
- Spray your mini muffin pans well or line with mini paper liner.
- Fill the muffin tins up 3/4 of the way. I like to use a cookie scoop for easy distribution.
- Bake the muffins for 10 to 12 minutes. (Ovens may vary- keep an eye on them)
- Do NOT over bake! These have no butter or oil and can easily become a little tough if over done.
- Remove from the oven and carefully loosen them with a wooden toothpick around the edges to get them out.
- Serve warm or room temperature.
- Makes 4 dozen mini muffins.
- To freeze- let the muffins cool completely and them store in a freezer friendly plastic bag or container.
- Enjoy!
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These look delicious! Do you use unsweetened applesauce, or sweetened? Thank you!
Hi Janet! I usually use unsweetened, but regular is fine- it just makes it a tad sweeter, but will still bake great! 🙂
Made these today. So good! For my family’s taste would definitely double or even triple the cinnamon and cloves. Baked one pan of regular sized muffins and baked for 14 minutes. Worked well.
Hi Melody! I’m so glad your family enjoyed these! We always love extra cinnamon too:) Yum!