Blueberry Avocado Muffins

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 18 minutes

Servings: 12

Author: Taesha Butler

Equipment

Blender
Muffin tin

Ingredients

2 cups white whole wheat flour*
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon fine salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 large ripe avocado cut in half and pit removed
½ cup unsweetened applesauce
2 large eggs
⅓ cup maple syrup or honey
⅓ cup plain Greek yogurt**
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup fresh blueberries or wild frozen blueberries (not defrosted), plus extra for the top

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400℉. Line a standard muffin tin with paper liners, silicone liners, or grease well with oil.
In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon together until well combined.
Using a spoon, scoop the avocado flesh into a blender or food processor. Add applesauce, eggs, maple syrup/honey, yogurt, and vanilla. Blend until smooth.
Pour wet ingredients into the bowl with the flour mixture. Stir with a large spoon or spatula until no dry flour remains. Do not over mix!
Gently fold in the blueberries.
Scoop batter into the muffin tin then press a few more berries into the top of each muffin.
Bake until cooked through and golden brown, about 16 to 18 minutes.
Cool in the pan for 10 minutes then transfer muffins to a cooling rack. Muffins can be stored, covered, at room temperature for 2 days, refrigerated for 5 days, or frozen for up to 2 months.

Notes

You can use regular whole wheat flour, a mixture of all-purpose and whole wheat flour, or all all-purpose flour. For a gluten free muffin, use a cup-for-cup style gluten free flour blend.
You can use regular plain yogurt, but the muffins might not be as fluffy. For a dairy-free muffin, use a vegan yogurt such as plain coconut yogurt.
To be egg free, substitute with flax “eggs”: Mix 2 tablespoons of ground flax seed with 6 tablespoons of water. Set aside to thicken for 5 minutes.

Savory 3-Veggie Muffins

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Servings: 12 muffins

Author: Taesha Butler

Equipment

Muffin tin

Ingredients

1/2 cup finely chopped broccoli florets
1/2 cup grated carrots
1/2 cup grated zucchini
1/4 cup olive or avocado oil
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp salt or to taste
1 cup milk of choice
1 cup shredded cheese plus extra for topping if desired
1/2 tbsp Italian seasoning

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 350℉ and line a muffin tin with 12 liners. Set aside.
Place grated carrots and zucchini in the middle of a paper towel. Squeeze out as much of the moisture as you can. Set aside.
Combine all ingredients except vegetables and cheese in a medium bowl. Mix until smooth and batter has an even consistency.
Add finely chopped broccoli florets, drained carrots, drained zucchini and shredded cheese to batter and fold in.
Portion between the prepared muffin tins and top with extra shredded cheese if desired.
Bake for 20-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Remove from the oven and let it pan for 5 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack and let the muffins cool completely before storing them in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to a month.

Notes

Don't skip on squeezing out the zucchini and carrots! These veggies are naturally high in water and skipping out on removing their added moisture might make for a soggy muffin... which is simply no fun.
Let them cool before trying them. I know, I know. We all get super excited to try a new muffin recipe and the idea of trying a piping hot muffin fresh out of the oven is almost too hard to resist. But, when you take a muffin out of the oven, it is still baking as it cools. True story. So they need that "sit and chill" time on the cooling rack to finish cooking and firm up as they cool.
Don't over bake them. If you just read the above section about letting them finish baking as they cool and you're tempted to just leave these savory vegetable muffins in the oven longer, don't do it! Over baking will result in a dry muffin.
Know your unique oven. Every oven is different. I learned the hard way when moving from apartment to apartment when I was younger that the sensors in ovens can become faulty over time and don't always cook at the temperature they claim. I ended up buying an oven thermometer to be sure I was baking foods at the temperature they needed. If you suspect your oven might cook hotter or colder than the suggested temp, adjust your cooking times appropriately.
Use a food processor to finely chop and grate your veggies. I LOVE this kitchen hack. It saves so much time and can really make veggie-loading easier! For the broccoli, just add florets to a food processor with the "S" blade. Pulse until finely chopped. For the carrots and zucchini, use the shredding blade.

Suggested adaptations

Skip the salt, herbs and/or spices. If you are making these vegetable muffins for babies or toddlers, you might prefer to keep salt to a minimum and not overwhelm those little tastebuds with herbs and spices.
Bake it as a savory loaf. Mix as directed but bake in a loaf pan for 40-45 minutes at the same temperature.
Replace the broccoli with cauliflower.
Replace the zucchini with summer squash. Just make sure to still squeeze out the added moisture!
Make them gluten free by subbing in a good cup-for-cup gluten free flour blend. I like this one!
Make them as mini muffins. Just portion them out into a lined mini muffin tin and bake for about 10-13 minutes at the same temperature or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.