Zucchini Bread Muffins
The same brown sugar and cinnamon batter as the loaf, baked into 24 domed muffins in a third of the time. A high-heat start builds the bakery dome. Freezer friendly and lunchbox sized.
Equipment
- 2 12-cup standard muffin pans Light metal. Fill any unused cups with water so the pan heats evenly and does not warp
- 24 Paper muffin liners Or grease the cups directly with butter and flour.
- 1 #16 portion scoop 1/4 cup capacity, gives even fills and clean liner edges.
- 1 Box Grater Use the large holes
- 1 Digital Kitchen Scale For the flour and the zucchini
- 1 Instant-read digital thermometer Centers read 200°F to 205°F.
- 1 Large mixing bowl 4-quart, for the dry ingredients
- 1 Medium mixing bowl 2-quart, for the wet ingredients
- 1 Balloon whisk No mixer needed
- 1 Flexible silicone spatula For folding
- 1 Wire cooling rack For cooling out of the pan
- 1 Measuring spoon set For spices, leaveners, salt, and vanilla.
Ingredients
Dry ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour spooned and leveled (360 g)
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg freshly grated if possible
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp fine sea salt
Wet ingredients
- 3 large eggs room temperature
- 1 cup light brown sugar packed (200 g)
- ½ cup granulated sugar, (100 g)
- ¾ cup extra virgin olive oil (180 ml)
- ¼ cup full-fat sour cream, or plain Greek yogurt (60 g)
- 1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
Zucchini and add-ins
- 3 cups grated zucchini loosely measured, unpeeled, unsqueezed (390 g)
- 1 cup chopped walnuts optional (120 g)
- 2 tbsp turbinado sugar optional, skip if glazing
Instructions
Prep
- Heat the oven to 425°F (218°C) with a rack in the center position. Line 24 standard muffin cups with paper liners.
- Trim and grate the zucchini on the large holes of a box grater, skin on. Measure 390 g, spooned loosely rather than packed. Do not drain or squeeze.
Mix
- In the large bowl, whisk the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder, baking soda, and salt for 20 seconds until uniform.
- In the medium bowl, whisk the eggs, brown sugar, and granulated sugar for 45 seconds, then whisk in the oil, sour cream, and vanilla until smooth. Pour the wet into the dry and fold about 12 strokes. Add the zucchini and the nuts, if using, then fold 8 to 10 more strokes until no dry flour shows.
Bake
- Scoop the batter all the way to the top of each liner. Filling to the rim is what creates the dome. Sprinkle with turbinado sugar, if using.
- Bake 5 minutes at 425°F. Reduce the oven to 350°F (177°C) without opening the door and bake 13 to 16 minutes more. Total oven time runs 18 to 21 minutes.
- Check that a thermometer inserted into the center of a middle muffin reads 200°F to 205°F.
Cool
- Cool 5 minutes in the pan, then transfer to a wire rack. Wait another 10 minutes before peeling any liner.
Notes
- Wait 10 minutes before peeling a liner. Pull too early and half the muffin comes away with the paper.
- The 425°F opening blast sets the outer wall fast so the interior pushes upward. Skip it and you get flat tops.
- Do not open the oven door when you drop the temperature. The rush of cool air collapses the rise you just built.
- Fill any unused muffin cups with water so the pan heats evenly and does not warp.
- Freeze in a zip-top bag for 3 months and microwave 20 seconds straight from frozen.
- Skip the turbinado sugar if you plan to glaze, because the two together read as gritty.
- Mini muffins bake 11 to 14 minutes total at a steady 350°F and yield about 48.
- Loaf timing does not transfer. Muffins finish in roughly a third of the time and will be dry and cracked at 50 minutes.