I love zucchini season. These delicious, gluten free, protein-full muffins are a great way to take advantage of it. I tripled the recipe and shredded about a dozen zucchini and froze several bags, because, as you will see, these muffins have a tendency to disappear very quickly. They freeze well, and are a hit with kids. I have been packing these in my daughter’s lunch all week.
Prep time: 10 minutes. Bake time: 45 min.
Ingredients:
1/2 C coconut flour
4 eggs
1/2 cup coconut oil (liquified), melted butter would also work well
1/2 cup maple syrup or honey
3 cups peeled and grated zucchini (important to peel zucchini before grating, otherwise you risk the peel having a bitter after-taste)
* Important step: if zucchini seems wet, squeeze out excess water so that muffins do not turn out soggy.
1 tbsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
optional: 1/2 cup of raisins
optional: 1/2 cup of chocolate chips
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Farhenheit.
2. Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl.
3. Mix all wet ingredients in a separate bowl. When thoroughly mixed, add zucchini to wet ingredients and mix well.
4. Incorporate wet ingredients into dry ingredients and mix well.
5. Line muffin tin with paper cups or light coat of oil and fill about half way.
6. Bake at 350 for about 40 to 45 min. Muffins are done when they bounce back to touch.
Enjoy!!!
Can I substitute the coconut flour for a different kind of flour (like arrowroot, for example)?
Coconut flour stands out as the healthiest of all flours due to its high protein and fiber content. It is dense and fibrous and takes a little effort to substitute directly with other flours because it requires more liquid for the same consistency. This is the general rule: when substituting coconut flour for other flours, use the same amount of flour but add 1 extra egg (in addition to what the recipe already calls for) for every ounce of coconut flour. On average, 1/4 cup of coconut flour is equal to 1 ounce. For example, if a recipe calls for 1 cup of oat flour and 2 eggs, use 1 cup of coconut flour and 6 eggs. This ratio of flour to eggs might seem excessive, but trust me, the coconut flour will absorb. So to substitute back from a recipe with coconut flour to other flours such as oat flour or almond flour, eliminate one egg for every ounce of coconut flour.
Arrowroot is used more as a thickening agent than a flour. Arrowroot is very starchy and not generally used as the main flour in standard baking. It is excellent in: pie fillings, sauces, jellies, and you can even sprinkle arrowroot on ice cream to prevent the formation of ice crystals AND coating arrowroot starch on fries makes them crispy! Ok, I think I’ll stop now. 🙂