ABOUT THE RECIPE:
Blueberry-Zucchini Surprise Mini-Muffins make a great start to the day.
Makes 12 mini-muffins
INGREDIENTS:
1 cup whole-wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
⅓ cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 cup nondairy milk, plus more as needed
3/4 cup grated zucchini, drained (see note)
⅓ cup raisins
12 teaspoons whole-fruit blueberry preserves, excess liquid drained off
INSTRUCTIONS:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a twelve-cup mini-muffin tin with paper liners.
Put the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl and stir with a dry whisk to combine. Add the brown sugar and stir with the whisk to combine. Stir in the lemon juice and nondairy milk, and mix just until incorporated. Stir in the zucchini and raisins. The batter will be quite thick, but if it seems overly dry, stir in a bit more nondairy milk, 1 tablespoon at a time.
Mound half of the batter into the prepared mini-muffin cups. Spoon 1 teaspoon of the preserves into the center of each muffin. Top each muffin cup with the remaining half of the batter, evenly distributing it among the twelve muffin cups. Put the muffin tin on a baking sheet and bake for 20 to 30 minutes, or until golden and a toothpick inserted in the middle of a muffin comes out clean. Put the muffin tin on a wire rack. Let cool for about 15 minutes. Carefully remove the muffins. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Chef's Note: You can press out excess liquid from the shredded zucchini by putting it in a large, screened colander and placing it over a medium bowl. Let the zucchini drain for 5 to 10 minutes, and then gently press the excess liquid out into the bowl using a soft spatula.