Zucchini Muffin Taste Test

Carrot-Zucchini Muffins vs. Lemon Glazed Zucchini Quick Bread (muffins)






I like comparing recipes for the same type of food and doing taste tests.


Today it was zucchini muffins. My younger brother loves muffins, so I thought I would ask him to be the judge.


The first recipe featured oats, skim milk, and carrots. In the second recipe I substituted whole wheat flour for 1 cup of regular flour and baked the batter in jumbo muffin tins instead of a loaf pan.


Carrot-Zucchini Muffins from Betty Crocker Healthy Heart Cookbook
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup quick-cooking or old-fashioned oats
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
3 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
2/3 cup skim milk
3 Tbs canola oil
1 egg
1 cup finely shredded carrot
1/2 cup shredded unpeeled zucchini

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Spray 12 muffin tins, with cooking spray or line with paper cups.


2. Mix flour, oats, brown sugar,baking powder, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl. Stir in milk, oil, and egg all at once just until flour is moistened. Fold in carrots and zucchini, Divide batter evenly among muffin cups.


3. Bake 16 to 21 minutes or until golden brown and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Immediately remove from pan. Serve warm



Lemon-glazed Zucchini Quick Bread from The Complete Cooking Light Cookbook
2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour (can sub. 1 cup whole wheat flour)
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1 cup finely shredded zucchini
1/2 cup 1% low-fat milk
1/4 cup canola oil
2 Tbls grated lemon rind
1 large egg
cooking spray
1 cup sifted powdered sugar
2 Tbls fresh lemon juice

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups, level with knife. Combine flour and next 6 ingredients in a large bowl; make a well in center of mixture. Combine zucchini, milk, oil, rind, and egg in a bowl; add the flour mixture. Stir just until moist.

3. Spoon batter into an 8*4-inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray (or muffin tins, half baking time). Bake at 350 for 55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in pan on a wire rack; remove from pan and cool completely on wire rack.

4. Combine powdered sugar and lemon juice; stir with a whisk. Drizzle over loaf.

I think the results were a tie- some preferred the quality the oats added to the first muffin, others the nuttiness the wheat flour added to the second. Try it and you can decide for yourself!