Vegan Lemon Zucchini Muffins

Is there anyone who is NOT drowning in zucchini this time of year??  My zucchini is doing terribly at the moment {in fact my entire garden is pretty sad this year}, but thanks to my friend Stesha, there’s been no zucchini shortage around here!  I’ve been grating it up and throwing it into soups, sauces, veggie ground for tacos, and wherever else I can get away with it and there’s still more!  We LOVE our super cakey {and also vegan, naturally sweetened, and whole wheat} chocolate zucchini muffins, but sometimes a girl just needs some lemon in her life, am I right?  {I freaking. love. all. things. lemon.}  After completely winging a batch of lemon zucchini muffins and having them turn out flavourful but too wet and zucchini-y, I came to a brilliant conclusion…  Why would I not just adapt my chocolate zucchini recipe??  It’s crazy delicious and nearly fail-proof, which would make for a good jumping off point, right?  

RIGHT.  

I’m so stoked on how these turned out.  They’re super lemony, tender, and I hate myself for saying it, but MOIST. (Gag! Grossest word in existence.)  The only thing I may experiment with next time around is using a combination of traditional whole wheat flour and whole wheat pastry flour as they’re almost too tender and flaky if that’s possible.  {If you try it, I’d love to hear from you in the comments!}

The other thing I’ll say about these {and most of the muffins I make} is that because the veggie content is so high, I usually keep what we’re going to eat in the coming few days in an air-tight container in the fridge and then freeze the rest to pull out one at a time when needed.  They freeze well and this ensures that they don’t turn to mush as healthy muffins sometimes do.

Aren’t they pretty too?  I was surprised to see that they’d turned a yellow-y hue when I pulled them out of the oven. I guess that’s what happens when you make muffins loaded to the brim with lemon zest and juice, hey?  {Hah!}

Here’s how to make them…

Vegan Naturally Sweetened Whole Wheat Lemon Zucchini Muffins  

• 2 tablespoons of ground flax or chia seed
• 6 tablespoons of warm water

• 1 1/2 cups of whole wheat pastry flour
• 1 teaspoon of baking powder
• 1 teaspoon of baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon of sea salt

• zest of 4 large lemons

• 1/2 cup of good olive oil
• 1/2 cup of pure maple syrup
• juice of 2 large lemons
• 1 teaspoon of good vanilla

• 1 1/2 cups of finely grated zucchini, deseeded if necessary

 

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

In a small bowl, measure out the ground flax or chia seed and warm water.  Stir to combine and set aside to thicken.  {This mixture is two flax / chia ‘eggs’.}

In a large bowl, add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and sea salt. Whisk until thoroughly combined and sprinkle lemon zest on top.

In a separate smaller bowl, whisk together the olive oil, pure maple syrup, lemon juice, and vanilla.

Add the liquid mixture and the flax eggs into the dry mixture and gently mix with a spatula until almost combined.  Add the finely grated zucchini and give the mixture a few more gentle stirs. {A word on the zucchini…  If you pre-grate your zucchini like we usually do, by the time you go to use it, there will most likely be some liquid that has drained off.  No need to include this.  Simply pick up the zucchini by the handful, allow it to drip over the bowl for a few seconds, and then add it to your mixture, tossing out any liquid that’s left in the bowl afterwards.  Do not squeeze your grated zucchini dry before adding it… The moisture from the zucchini is what makes these muffins so dang good.}

Line your muffin tin with silicone muffin liners and distribute the batter evenly amongst the cups.  Bake for approximately 20 – 24 minutes, or until a wooden toothpick comes out clean. I sometimes like to turn my oven to broil for the last minute or two of the baking time in order to get the muffin tops nice and golden and just a touch crispy, but be sure to watch your muffins closely if you choose to do this… Broil is no joke.

Remove the muffins from the oven and allow them to sit for several minutes before removing them from the pan and placing them on a cooling rack. 

Once completely cool, store in an air-tight container on the counter or in the fridge for a few days or freeze the muffins and pull them out as needed.

Enjoy!

 

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