Zucchini in Disguise

Do you have your cup of coffee ready to go this morning? I have your muffins hot and just out of the oven. Sorry the scratch and sniff portion of the blog is malfunctioning this morning. 

A few years ago, I asked a real gardener named Kim for some zucchini recipes. She shared this easy one that uses a carrot cake mix as the base. This week, I tried an orange supreme cake mix. If I go that route again, I'll bump up the orange flavor even more by adding a little fresh orange zest. I think it would also be tasty with spice cake or butter brickle flavors. Just use your imagination - or what's in your pantry.

This recipe is a good one for using up some of the prolific zucchini in your garden. We're not to the stage where we are going to put the zucchini in grocery sacks, knock on our neighbor's door and run away. That's a little hard to do when your closest neighbors are a mile away.

But if someone happens to share their garden bonanza with you, this recipe's a winner. And, with a cake mix, it won't take you long to be unwrapping a hot muffin at your house. You supply the smell-o-vision.

Happy weekend!

Look closely and you can see the grated zucchini in these. But if you distract your kids, they may not notice it - not that I'm trying to put anything past your kids.

Zucchini Carrot Muffins
Recipe from Kim Volker

1 pkg. (18 oz.) carrot cake mix
1/2 cup applesauce
1/4 cup canola oil
1 egg
1 1/2 cups shredded zucchini
1/2 cup raisins (or dates)
1/2 cup chopped pecans

In large bowl, combine the cake mix, applesauce, oil and egg for 30 seconds. Beat on low speed for 30 seconds; beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. Stir in zucchini, raisins and pecans.

Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups 3/4 full. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack to cool completely.

Yield: About 16 muffins (I got 18).

Variations: Use a spice, orange, butter brickle or similar cake mix instead. For more fresh taste, you can also grate a little orange or lemon zest into the batter before baking. 

If you missed it earlier this week, here's a totally homemade muffin, complete with whole wheat flour and oats:  Low Fat Zucchini Banana Bread/Muffins.