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Tag Archives: muffins

The Very Best Healthy Chocolate Zucchini Muffins

8 / 5 / 188 / 5 / 18

The Very Best Chocolate Zucchini Muffins | Mama Papa Bubba

The very first thing you do when gifted several pounds of zucchini?  You make healthy chocolate zucchini muffins of course!  The *very best* healthy chocolate zucchini muffins that are also vegan, naturally sweetened, and made with whole grains, that is. {WINNING.}

Healthy Chocolate Zucchini Muffins

Just check these beauties out, will you?  I don’t know if this photo does their size any justice, but they’re huuuuuuuge.

Healthy Chocolate Zucchini Muffins

And begging to be turned into these insanely good chocolate zuchinni muffins by Relishing It.  For real, they taste more like cake than any other muffin I’ve eaten before.  Insanely good.  We’re talking by far the very best healthy muffin I’ve ever tasted…  To the point where I regularly pass them off as chocolate birthday cupcakes {and even our pickiest little guests gobble up TWO}.

Now here’s my public service announcement…  If you’re just a regular person wanting a regular healthy muffin recipe, pop over to Laurie’s post and make them exactly as she tells you to. They’re absolutely perfect as is – no need to change anything.

Now if you’re like me and are attempting to minimize the amount of animal products your family consumes, try our version below.  They’re every bit as delicious, but they don’t contain the egg or honey, which makes them healthy, whole grained, naturally sweetened, and VEGAN.

Healthy Chocolate Zucchini Muffins{this post contains affiliate links}

Here’s our line up of ingredients…  First up, whole wheat pastry flour.  Every bit worth the effort it takes to find, in my opinion. In Kuwait we used this one by Bob’s Red Mill and in Canada we use one from Nature’s Fare.  Whole Foods stocks whole wheat pastry flour too and my guess is that it is decent.  Next, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, sea salt, and dark chocolate chips that are optional, but delicious.  The wet ingredients include coconut oil, flax ‘eggs’ {which is just ground flax seeds and water}, and vanilla, and of course you’ll need the zucchini too.

Healthy Chocolate Zucchini Muffins

The most important part of any baking session though?  Little helpers.  Little helpers who undoubtedly make the process longer and messier and way more fun.

Healthy Chocolate Zucchini Muffins

Here’s how this recipe goes down…  First, measure out the dry ingredients and whisk them together well.

Healthy Chocolate Zucchini Muffins

Then in a separate bowl {we use a big glass measuring cup}, measure out the wet ingredients and give them a good whisk before adding them to the dry mixture.

Healthy Chocolate Zucchini Muffins

Lastly, add in loads of finely grated zucchini that will pretty much just disappear during the baking process and leave you with the cake-iest, most delicious muffins ever.

Healthy Chocolate Zucchini Muffins

Gently stir it in…

Healthy Chocolate Zucchini Muffins

And then enlist your little ones’ help to prep the muffin tin {silicone muffin liners like these are the BEST} and divide the batter evenly between the 12 cups.

Healthy Chocolate Zucchini Muffins

Patiently wait as they bake….

Healthy Chocolate Zucchini Muffins

Let them cool for a couple of minutes…

Healthy Chocolate Zucchini Muffins

And dive in!

Healthy Chocolate Zucchini Muffins

SOOOO good.  {Find Sam’s construction spoon here.}

Healthy Chocolate Zucchini Muffins

So good that we almost always make a double batch – otherwise they disappear too quickly.

Healthy Chocolate Zucchini Muffins

The Very Best Healthy Vegan Chocolate Zucchini Muffins  (adapted from this recipe on Relishing It)

  • 2 tablespoons of ground flax seed
  • 6 tablespoons of warm water
  • 1 cup of whole wheat pastry flour
  • 1/2 cup of cocoa powder
  • 1 teaspoon of baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon of baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon of sea salt
  • 1/2 cup of coconut oil {in its liquid state}
  • 1/2 cup of pure maple syrup
  • 1 teaspoon of good vanilla
  • 1 1/2 cups of finely grated zucchini, deseeded if necessary
  • 1/2 cup of dark chocolate chips

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

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

In a large bowl, add the flour cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and sea salt. Whisk until thoroughly combined and sprinkle the dark chocolate chips on top.

In a separate smaller bowl, whisk together the liquid coconut oil, pure maple syrup, and vanilla.

Add the liquid mixture and the flax eggs into the dry mixture and gently mix 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 – 25 minutes, or until a wooden toothpick comes out clean.

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.

These will last for several days in an air-tight container on the counter, but because of there high veggie content, I pop them in the fridge if they’re going to be around longer than a few days.

Healthy Chocolate Zucchini Muffins

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Healthy Chocolate Coconut Banana Muffins

2 / 24 / 131 / 6 / 14

Healthy Chocolate Coconut Banana Muffins

One of the little traditions we do on Gracen’s half birthday (ohmahgerd, I have a two and a half year old) is make a fresh batch of muffins (aka ‘cupcakes’) to top with freshly whipped cream and candles later in the evening.  So today we used our usual no sugar added banana muffin recipe, tweaked it just a little bit, and came up with these delicious chocolate coconut creations.  They are super yummy and truly do feel like a cupcake instead of a healthy muffin… Especially if you add the dark chocolate chips I added to the adult half of the batch (with which I doubt they can be remain in the ‘healthy’ category, but hey – I try my best). ☺

IMG 5912

Here’s the recipe…

Healthy Banana Chocolate Coconut Muffins

  • 4 large ripe bananas
  • 1 organic egg
  • 1/3 cups of coconut oil
  • 2 tablespoons of pure maple syrup
  • 2 tablespoons of cocoa
  • 1 teaspoon of pure vanilla
  • 1 1/2 cups of wholewheat flour
  • 1 teaspoon of baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon of baking powder
  • 1/2 cup of unsweetened coconut shavings
  • dark chocolate chips (optional – we used 1/3 of a cup in half the batter)

Preheat oven to 350° . Prepare a 12 cup muffin pan by brushing it with coconut oil.

Mix the bananas, other wet ingredients, and cocoa until the mixture is mostly smooth and only slightly chunky.  In a separate bowl, mix the dry ingredients (save the coconut and chocolate chips) well. Gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.  Slowly stir in the coconut (and chocolate chips if adding them).  Fill greased muffin tin with the mixture and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.  Let cool.

Enjoy!

 

13 Comments

Healthy Wholewheat Pumpkin Spice Muffins

10 / 10 / 1210 / 10 / 12

Pumpkin Muffins‘Tis the season for all things pumpkin, so today Grae and I decided to experiment with making a healthy, but delicious, pumpkin treat.  I must say, we were definitely ‘winging it’, but our version of pumpkin spice muffins turned out great! They’re soft and moist inside, full of flavour, and perfectly sweet.  Not to mention, they contain no white flour, butter/margarine, or refined sugar.  Yay for that.

IMG 0389Here’s our line up of ingredients… Wholewheat flour, organic old-fashioned oats, ground flax seed, walnuts, pecans, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, pure organic pumpkin puree, grapeseed oil, organic eggs, pure maple syrup, and pure vanilla.

IMG 0390Of course, having a sweet little wispy haired sous chef helps too.

IMG 0394Start by putting the flour into a large mixing bowl.

IMG 0395Add the oats and ground flax.

IMG 0397Be sure to cram as many oats into your mouth as possible when no one’s looking.

IMG 0399Next up, add the baking powder, baking soda, and spices.

IMG 0401Give everything a good stir.

IMG 0405In a separate bowl, pour in the pureed pumpkin.

IMG 0407Add the maple syrup and vanilla…

IMG 0409The grapeseed oil…

IMG 0411And the eggs.

IMG 0413Then give everything a good mix.

IMG 0415Next, add the dry mixture into the wet one.

IMG 0417Mix until just combined.

IMG 0418Then add the nuts…

IMG 0422And gently fold them into the batter.

IMG 0425Prepare a muffin tin by lining it with silicone baking cups or a light layer of grapeseed oil.

IMG 0426Fill the muffin cups almost to the top, but not quite, then pop them in the oven.

IMG 0430Take them out once the tops are cracked and a toothpick comes out clean.

IMG 0434Let them cool for a couple of minutes and serve to your  very excited and very silly little munchkin.

Healthy Wholewheat Pumpkin Spice Muffins

(loosely based on this recipe by Bake or Break)

  • 1 3/4 cups of wholewheat flour
  • 1/2 cup of old-fashioned oats
  • 3 tablespoons of ground flax seeds
  • 1 teaspoon of baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg
  • 1/4 teaspoon of ginger
  • 1 cup of pure pureed pumpkin
  • 1/2 cup of grapeseed or olive oil
  • 1/2 cup of pure maple syrup
  • 2 large organic eggs
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla
  • 1/4 cup of pecans, chopped
  • 1/2 cup of walnuts, chopped 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare muffin tin.

Mix together the dry ingredients (except the nuts) and set aside.  In a separate bowl, mix together the wet ingredients.  Add the dry mixture to the wet one and stir until just combined.  Fold in nuts.

Transfer batter into the muffin tin.  Bake for 18 to 22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean.

Allow to cool, then serve or store in an airtight container.

Enjoy!

 

See our favourite banana muffins here and our favourite carrot zucchini muffins here.

 

24 Comments

The Best {No Sugar Added} Banana Muffins

9 / 9 / 126 / 12 / 19

The BEST No Sugar Added Banana Muffins | Mama.Papa.Bubba.I originally made these muffins as a healthy alternative to the sugar-filled, buttercream-topped Pioneer Woman vanilla cupcakes I made for Miss G’s 2nd birthday party, and they’ve quickly became a favourite.  Gracen loves them, Brad gobbles them up, and I often pack an extra in the diaper bag to eat while on the go. So this morning, on the first football Sunday of the year, Miss G and I whipped up a fresh batch.

IMG 9467

Here’s our line up of ingredients…

  • very ripe bananas (fresh or previously frozen and defrosted)
  • oil (olive or coconut or grapeseed – I actually think olive might be my fave)
  • an egg or egg replacer (we’ve used a chia egg or a flax egg* for the last several years and both work perfectly)
  • pure vanilla
  • wholewheat flour
  • baking soda
  • baking powder
  • cinnamon
  • salt (which you can easily leave out if making these for really little ones – there’s not really a noticeable difference if you skip it to be honest)
  • walnuts or chocolate chips or a combination of both if you wish (Gracen always wishes for nuts, and I agree –  the crunch definitely makes these muffins yummier)

*To make a chia or flax egg, put one tablespoon of ground chia or flax seed into a small bowl and add 3 tablespoons of warm water.  Mix it well and let it sit for approximately 10 minutes before using it.

IMG 9471

{this post contains affiliate links}

First off, add your bananas and the other wet ingredients to a large mixing bowl.

IMG 9474

Mix until mostly smooth and only slightly chunky.

IMG 9476

Next, place all of the dry ingredients, except the nuts and or chocolate chips, in a separate bowl.

IMG 9479

And give them a good stir.

IMG 9483

Once mixed, add the dry mixture to the wet mixture.

IMG 9484

Mix just until blended.

IMG 9485

If you’re adding nuts to your muffins, crush them up a little bit…

IMG 9487

Add them to your muffin batter… If you’re adding chocolate chips, no need to crush them first obviously.

IMG 9490

And give the mixture a stir.

IMG 9492

Lastly, grease a muffin tin with some oil (or use silicone muffin liners) , scoop the mixute into the cups, and top with a walnut if desired.

IMG 9494

Bake until cooked through and golden brown.

IMG_8530

The BEST {No Sugar Added} Banana Muffins (adapted from Bob Ewing‘s recipe)

  • 4 large ripe bananas
  • 1  egg (we use a chia egg or flax egg)
  • 1/3 cup of your favourite oil (we use olive or coconut)
  • 1 teaspoon of pure vanilla (this vanilla is the BEST)
  • 1 1/2 cups of whole wheat flour
  • 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon of baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon of baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon of salt (completely optional – I’d choose to leave it out in the future if making these for littles)
  • 1/2 cup of walnuts, crushed – plus more for topping, or chocolate chips (or a 1/4 cup of each)

Preheat oven to 350° . Prepare a 12 cup muffin pan by brushing it with oil or using silicon baking cups.

If you’re using a flax or chia egg, mix 1 tablespoon of ground chia or flax seed with 3 tablespoons of warm water in a small bowl and allow it to sit for 5 or 10 minutes to thicken. Mix the bananas and other wet ingredients until the mixture is mostly smooth and only slightly chunky.  In a separate bowl, mix the dry ingredients (save the walnuts and chocolate chips) well. Gently stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.  Fold in walnuts and/or chocolate chips if adding them.  Fill the prepared muffin tin with the mixture and top each muffin with a whole walnut.  Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.  Let cool.

Enjoy!

 

91 Comments

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