Zucchini Blender Muffins - A Replication Study
Sometimes, a recipe seems too good to be true.
Are you telling me that a recipe can:
Yield delicious results
Be made in a blender
Can make a dent in my zucchini collection
Also uses two ingredients we love - peanut butter and maple syrup
AND - is naturally dairy free?
Seems like a pie in the sky, or at least muffins here on earth.
I hypothesized that this recipe from the ever-creative and reliable Half-Baked Harvest would indeed live up to the hype.
Not so convinced? Read on!
Method
Recipe Source:
Half-Baked Harvest’s Blender Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Zucchini Muffins
Dairy-free modifications:
None needed! This recipe is naturally free of dairy, as long as you source dairy-free chocolate chips. My preferred choice is Trader Joe’s semi-sweet chocolate chips, but Enjoy Life also makes great options that are available across many grocery stores.
Procedures:
Add your zucchini to the blender, and pulse until it is in small pieces but not mush.
Add the rest of your ingredients in the order that Tieghan lists, and blend.
Pro Tip: I blend the batter on low for just a few seconds, until there are only a few streaks of flour left. Then, I am able to incorporate the rest with a rubber spatula, and be confident that I did not overwork the batter.
Figure 1. Mostly blended zucchini muffin batter.
3. Pour into muffin cups, and bake.
I found I needed to bake the muffins for 28 minutes to achieve a baked consistency, much higher than the 18-20 minutes estimated in the original recipe. More thoughts on this below.
Results
Ta da!
Figure 2. Straight outta the oven.
Figure 3. She can handle a close-up.
Figure 4. Ready to enjoy!
Discussion
These simple steps and ingredients yielded delicious results! My most important reviewer commented that they were his favorite of the zucchini baked goods this season. I made these twice, and they turned out great both times. I was pleasantly surprised that the subtle taste of peanut butter complemented the zucchini and chocolate really well.
One concern or limitation that I noted that these muffins took a lot longer to bake than indicated in the recipe. The recipe indicates 20 minutes, but mine took 28 minutes and seemed just baked. It is possible that the recipe needs a wider range, but other alternative explanations seem more likely. First, as evidenced in Figures 2-4, I used stand-alone muffin cups instead of a traditional muffin pan. This may have affected absorption of heat and prolonged the time to cook. Second, I may have gotten a little excited about using up my zucchini and added slightly more than the recipe required. This would have resulted in a wetter batter, and prolonged cook time as well.
Making these muffins was a roller coaster of emotions. I was so excited to find a recipe from a popular blog that already did not include any dairy, and seemed surprisingly easy! Then, I’ll admit I was a bit apprehensive when I saw the look of the mixture in the blender. Finally, I was elated when I finally pulled out some delicious muffins out of the oven. Just goes to show, even without dairy, good things can be true.