Zucchini Bran Muffins

Zucchini Bran Muffins

I don’t have a reading inspiration for this recipe - I just made a really great thing I want to gift to the Internets.  Terribly sorry to ruin your Tuesday with that news.  I just happen to love bran muffins, and weirdly often find myself embarrassed by them.  Their reputation gives the impression they are the old man of the muffin family, or something.  They’re not the family dog everyone loves, like blueberry, or your zippy mom, like a lemon poppy, or a corn safe bet, like your dad, or cool and trendly like your popular older siblings (donut muffins) or even like the hot cousin blowing into town at the holidays (I’m looking at you, pumpkin).  They’re just kind of there, sitting heavily in the back of the case.  But I love them.  I truly, madly, deeply do.  I’ve loved them since I was a kid, and they were DEFINITELY not cool, because who coats a bran muffin in sugar, like all the fancy blueberry muffins the other kids would fight over after sitting through a Sunday morning church service?  

Soon you will be delicious Zucchini Bran Muffins.

I also love this time of year for the bountiful crop of zucchini that you can find at your local farmers market, or even grocery store.  I enjoy zucchini bread half as much as I enjoy the actual vegetable, which is to say an indecent amount.  When I started thinking about how much I love both of these things on a long run, it only made sense to put them together.  Let’s just call it a wild success; pretty sure this is one of the top five things my brain has ever made my hands cook.  My mouth seems to believe that this recipe will be one I make for years to come.  They are beyond delicious, filled with flavor, and presumably healthy from all the nutrients in the vegetables, grains, nuts, and fruit (just play along, guys).  They’re basically all you need aside from a strong cup of coffee on a cool, August morning (or ever).  Get cooking!

So soon. 

Zucchini Bran Muffins:
Proudly elevating Bran Muffins from Old Man status to Hawt Young Thang status (since 2013)

Notes:

• I consulted a few sources, and then, shocker, went rogue.  If you’d like to consult too, check out Shipyard Galley’s Zucchini Muffins, The Farmgirl Fare's Zucchini Bran Muffins, The Back in the Day Bakery Cookbook's Carrot Golden Raisin Muffins, and The Joy of Cooking’s recipe for Bran Muffins.
• I used golden raisins because I thought they’d be a nice, visual contrast, and are slightly larger and chewier.  You can use regular raisins, dates, or another dried fruit of your choosing.
• For nut allergies, I’ve got a few ideas.  I’d suggest either doubling the dried fruit (or trying two different kinds), omitting them entirely, using the equivalent in dried coconut or grated carrot, or (crazy) going for chocolate.  
• Allegedly, this batter will keep for four days, refrigerated.  I’m also contemplating the potential for freezing it.  I didn’t try either (how could I wait?!), but want to; it sounds like a great gift idea!

Zucchini Bran Muffins

Recipe below:

Zucchini Bran Muffins

Makes 12 huge, 18 regular, or 24 smaller sized muffins in regular sized muffin trays

Zucchini Bran Muffins

Ingredients

1 cup Greek yogurt

2 eggs

½ cup vegetable oil

½ cup molasses

½ cup brown sugar

1 cup all purpose flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 ½ cups wheat bran

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

¼ tsp salt

1 tsp ground cinnamon

2 cups grated zucchini (approximately 1 large)

1 cup crushed walnuts

1 cup golden raisins

Directions

1) Preheat oven to 350.

2) In a large bowl, whisk together yogurt, eggs, oil, molasses, and sugar.

3) Mix in the dry ingredients (both flours, bran, baking powder and soda, salt, and cinnamon) until just combined.  Your mixture may be a bit dry, but we’ll take care of that in the next step.

4)  Mix in the grated zucchini, nuts, and raisins, and mix until totally combined.  I told you we’d take care of that dryness.  Thanks, zucchini.  You really are the best.

5) Spoon the batter into your prepared muffin tins, and bake at 350 for approximately 25 minutes, or until the top of the muffin lightly springs back to the touch.

6) Let cool for a few moments, just long enough not to get third degree burns on the roof of your mouth.  Devour with a cup of hot coffee or tea.