Zucchini & Walnut Muffins – Dairy free

I love it when an experiment works first hand! After my protracted efforts with my gluten-free cinnamon scroll recipe, this one was a refreshing change!!

Years ago I gained notoriety for adding vegetables to my baking – not to mention opprobrium, for adding beans to a cake!! But hiding adding vegetables into baked goods seems so much more acceptable now and no one bats an eyelid when I talk about zucchini in my muffins.

I have used banana flour, which I talk about here. If you haven’t tried it yet, and avoid gluten and/or wheat, I suggest you try it pronto! It is a fabulous alternative and produces a lovely moist crumb. Although, I find that if I eat too much of it I get a bit of a belly ache due to the resistant starch. That’s actually not a bad thing as it curbs my desire to over-indulge!

I also grate my zucchini by hand as I like the shreds, rather than chunks of zucchini. Give the grated zucchini a gentle squeeze to get rid of some of the moisture – it doesn’t have to be too dry though – younger smaller zucchini are wetter than older bigger ones.

This dairy free recipe is quick and easy; it can be made nut free if you substitute the walnuts for sunflower seeds and the milk for coconut. It’s versatile and uncomplicated – it keeps well, due to the oil and doesn’t need a frosting or icing. The kids will love it for afternoon tea!

50g walnuts

120g nut milk (I used almond)

80g olive oil

2 eggs

150g banana flour

2 teas baking powder

1 teas cinnamon (or 3 drops cinnamon oil)

½ teas nutmeg

1 drop cardamon essential oil (optional)

240g grated zucchini

90g rapadura sugar

stevia to taste (optional)

1 teas apple cider vinegar

Pulse the walnuts to chop coarsely and set aside.

Blend the milk, oil, eggs and sugar on SP 5 for 5 seconds.

Add the flour, spices, baking powder & zucchini and mix on SP 4 REVERSE until combined. Add the vinegar last* and mix on SP 4 until just incorporated.

Pour into muffin cups and sprinkle the walnuts on the top then bake for 25 minutes at 165°C. They will be soft to touch but still be a little moist inside.

*A note on vinegar: adding an acid to a recipe when there is baking powder helps activate the baking powder. But it happens so efficiently that if you add the vinegar at the beginning, you will knock out all of the tiny air bubbles that form in the mixing. I always add the vinegar right at the end to kick-start the aeration process just before it goes into the oven. The result will be a lighter one!