Fruit- and Veggie-Packed Muffins
Who doesn’t need to eat more fruits and veggies? (You know who you are.)
I like to get mine in the form of tender, moist muffins.
OK, my idea of fruits and veggies comes wrapped in butter, eggs, vanilla and sugar. But that got your attention, right?
These “Zucchini, Carrot, and Cranberry Muffins” come courtesy of “The SoNo Baking Company Cookbook” (Clarkson Potter). The new cookbook is by third-generation baker, John Barricelli, who graduated from the Culinary Institute of America at Hyde Park, NY, then worked at Le Bernardin in New York and Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, before opening his SoNo Baking Company & Cafe in South Norwalk, Conn.
If you’ve got zucchini taking over your backyard like zombies with no place else to go, this is the recipe for you. If you have cranberries stashed in your freezer from last Thanksgiving and have been wondering what the heck to do with them, this recipe is for you.
I added 1/3 cup chopped walnuts to the batter, just because I love nuts. Infused with cinnamon and vanilla, the muffins bake up with a nice, light yet hearty texture. The carrots add sweetness, the cranberries a slight tang, and the zucchini a faint grassy note.
Enjoy this alternative way of getting your fruits and veggies.
Zucchini, Carrot, and Cranberry Muffins
(Makes 12)
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon coarse salt
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup sugar
1 cup canola oil
2 large eggs, at room temperature
3/4 cup finely grated carrot (about 2 medium)
3/4 cup finely grated zucchini (about 1 medium)
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 cup whole fresh or frozen (unthawed) cranberries
1/3 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
Set oven rack in the middle position. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a standard 12-cup muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray, or generously butter with softened butter; set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and baking soda; set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together sugar, oil, eggs, grated carrot and zucchini, and vanilla. Add dry ingredients and fold with a rubber spatula until flour has been absorbed. Fold in the cranberries and walnuts.
Use a 2-inch (1/4 cup) ice cream scoop to divide batter evenly among prepared muffin cups.
Bake, rotating pan about two-thirds of the way through the baking time, until muffins are golden brown, the tops spring back when touched, and a cake tester inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes.
Transfer pan to a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes. Use an offset spatula or table knife to gently lift and turn the muffins on their sides in the muffin cups. Let cool in the pan. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Adapted from “The SoNo Baking Company Cookbook” by John Barricelli
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Okay, you have convinced me that I need to eat more fruits and veggies – in the form of delicious muffins! 🙂
These look fantastic, I think I may have to make some today!
For sure about adding nuts! Walnuts are my fav!
A great addition! I love the ingredients you used.
Cheers,
Rosa
I love baking with zucchini, and yet I’ve never connected the dots and added cranberries. Great idea! We’ll have to give it a go one of these times when I can’t help but sacrifice a cool house in the name of baked goods.
What an interesting recipe! I would never think to pair cranberries with any type of vegetable, but why not? They sure are pretty!
Fascinating . . I never thought of eating a muffin as a way of getting veggies, but I like the idea!
This definitely sounds unique to say the least. I have to say I am usually a pure fruit girl in my muffins, but I would be willing to be adventurous with this one. 🙂
Berries meet with fruits in a muffin… simply awesome!!
Love the color in these delectable looking muffins. And thank you for something to do with the zucchini that will soon be taking over my life – okay – just my garden and my kitchen – but it feels like it has gained control!
These muffins look delicious! Zucchini is such a great addition to baked goodness. It’s like these muffins are tiny little zucchini breads for one. Sweet!
What a great idea to sneak some veggies in the muffin! Got to make some for my little tot. 😉
So No baking for me…how appropriate is that for me 😛 I like the green and red look of these muffins…hey, it looks “Christmasy”
I agree with Tigerfish, they do look Christmasy!
It seems obvious but I never tried the cranberry-zucchini blend either. Thanks for inspiring idea. 🙂
a wonderful excuse to eat veggies 🙂
P.s.
If you like zucchini muffins, also check out my savory version (with basil, pine-nuts and mozzarella)…makes for a great summer appetizer!
http://www.ztastylife.com/2010/04/mini-zucchini-basil-pinenut-muffins.html
Awesome! Those are the most colourful muffins I’ve ever seen!
very lovely to look at and if there’s fruits and veggies, they must be good for you. I love the combination especially the walnuts!
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I am so happy to know that there is someone else who has stuff frozen in their freezer from last Thanksgiving. And your muffins look so delicious!
Wow … these look incredible! I wonder, can you sub in whole wheat pastry flour? (And in answer to your question about mango extract … just Google “natural mango extract” and you’ll get the right one. You probably have to mail order it, but it’s worth it.)
Yum, I love my Zucchini slice, so I’ll have to try these Zucchini muffins!!!
Great idea! and I love the colors!
This is definitely a dietitian kind of muffin. 🙂
This is definitely a good way to encourage people to start eating fruits & veggies 😛 I’m not a big fan of zucchini but I’m intrigued and eager to give this recipe a try. 🙂
wow look at those rich colours, I just can only stand here gazing at eat over and over again! still very satisfying!
Justine: You probably could sub in some whole wheat pastry flour for the regular all-purpose white. Would make the muffins even more good-for-you.
Ooh! love the little specks of color…how pretty! Never thought to use both fruit and veggies together in a muffin!
O, those sound delicious. When I was a kid, I used to make zucchini bread (I can’t remember where I found the recipe but I remember it was a good way to use my parent’s garden zucchini). This sounds even more delicious!
That’s healthy muffins that I would love to try. Thanks very much for sharing.
Now that’s a muffin chock full of good and healthy things! And delicious besides.
I don’t know why it surprised me, after all we love zucchini bread and carrot cake and who doesn’t love a cranberry muffin? The combo is perfect! Kudos to you. 🙂
these are reminiscent of morning glory muffins, which are a personal favorite. amen, carolyn–ya done good. 🙂
What a great combination! I agree, I usually add nuts to just about any muffin recipe cuz I love nuts!
These good for you muffins look amazing & ooh so appetizing, Carolyn!!
WAW!! I also love cranberries!! I could eat them all year round!
How did you know I am drowning in zucchini? I woke up at 6 am thinking I should grate some to get ready for baking. Yikes! Love the addition of carrots and cranberries.
Oh wow, these sound so healthy and delicious, a perfect snack. Thanks for sharing.
Yummo! I love zucchini bread so it’s no surprise zucchini makes excellent muffins too. Have not, however, put fruit with my zucchini baked goods. What a great idea. Sounds like the perfect snacking cake. And I usually get the munchies for something like this around 3pm every day of the week while sitting at my office swamped with work. 😛
So thanks!
Amazing taste! Just made these today along with blueberry zucchini muffins. I did not have whole or frozen cranberries, but had dried cranberries which I soaked in 1 Tbls. of orange juice for about 6 hours (could soak over night in fridge). Absolutely delicious! Thank you for this recipe… it’s my new favorite muffin!
Hi Barb: Soaked dried cranberries are an inspired substitution. I am glad you enjoyed these muffins so much. They are definitely a guilt-free treat. 😉