Either way, you need to make some zucchini bread.

I originally got this recipe from one of my favorite farmer’s markets. They had samples. I tried one and said “Oh, yum! I’m going to need the recipe.” When I got home I read the recipe and nearly fell out of my chair. 3 cups of sugar. 1 cup of oil. No wonder it tasted so good! Call me crazy, but I feel like bread made with vegetables should at least try to exercise some restraint*.

So this is my altered version. It uses half the sugar and replaces half the oil with non-fat Greek yogurt, and it still tastes delicious. The texture is somewhere between cake and a muffin. They’re moist and lightly sweet with lots of cinnamon spice flavor – just the way I like my zucchini bread. I highly recommend adding chocolate chips (which I forgot – first time in my life I have ever forgotten chocolate!) and/or nuts, if you like that sort of thing.

This recipe makes enough to share – 2 loaves or a loaf and muffins – so feel free to pay that neighbor back for sharing their garden goods!

* For those of you rolling your eyes at the thought of using restraint in baked goods, stay tuned. The next recipe uses over a pound of butter and more than 4 cups of sugar. And heavy cream.

Zucchini Bread & Muffins

Makes 2 standard loaves
OR
5 mini loaves
OR
1 8×4 loaf plus 12 muffins

Ingredients

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups graulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
4 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable or canola oil
1/3 cup plain non-fat Greek yogurt, such as 0% Chobani
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tablespoon water
2 cups grated zucchini
1 cup chopped nuts (optional)
chocolate chips (optional)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350° Prepare baking pans – line muffin tin with liners and/or spray loaf pans with non-stick baking spray.

In a large bowl, whisk together dry ingredients (flour through cinnamon). In a medium bowl, beat eggs lightly. Add oil, yogurt, vanilla extract, lemon juice, and water. Whisk. Stir in grated zucchini. Pour wet ingredients into dry and whisk just until combined.

Divide batter evenly among prepared pans. Bake standard loaves about 45-50 minutes and mini loaves and muffins about 20-25 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool on a wire wrack. Store covered at room temperature, or wrap tightly and freeze for later.

I’ve seen this one particular recipe popping up here and there for muffins that are supposed to taste like donuts. Now, I love donuts. Love love love. But I have one teeny, tiny problem with making donuts: I won’t fry anything. There are lots of reasons why – the smell, the terrifying vat of scorching hot oil, my pants need to fit – but the bottom line is that I won’t fry anything myself, so I will never make my own donuts. But baked muffins that taste like donuts? I’m so there.

Right about now I can hear you thinking, “Yeah, that’s great, but do they really taste like donuts if they’re not fried?” Well, yes and no. No, they don’t taste like a fresh fried yeast donut. But yes, they do taste like cake donut holes rolled in cinnamon sugar, and I promise you once you start eating them you’ll be so busy stuffing them in your face you won’t have time to analyze their relationship to a real donut.

Baked Pumpkin Spice Donut Holes

Printable Recipe
Adapted from Tasty Kitchen
Makes 20-24 mini muffins

Don’t worry – you don’t actually use the whole stick of butter for the coating, it just makes it easier to dip the muffins. If you’re looking for a somewhat lighter treat, skip the coating – the muffins are moist and pumpkin packed all on their own. These are best dipped and coated the same day you are going to eat them, otherwise the coating tends to get soggy.

Ingredients

For Donuts
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoons nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/8 teaspoons ground cloves
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup canned plain pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
1/2 cup low-fat milk

For Coating
1 stick of unsalted butter, melted
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons cinnamon

Directions

Preheat oven 350°F. Spray each cup in a 24-cup mini muffin tin with baking spray or butter generously.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt and spices (through cloves). In a separate, large bowl whisk together oil, brown sugar, egg, vanilla, pumpkin and milk until smooth. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix until just combined – do not over mix!

Divide batter evenly among muffin cups. (Using a 2-tablespoon scoop will ensure uniform size.) Bake at 350°F for 10-12 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

While the muffins bake, melt butter in one bowl and combine granulated sugar and cinnamon in another bowl. Remove muffins from oven and cool for 2 minutes, or until just cool enough to handle. Dip each muffin in melted butter, then roll in cinnamon sugar to coat.

Ahhh, Fall. My favorite season. Half of what I love about Fall are the changes taking place outside, but the other half is the food. Apples, pumpkins, soups and chilis, cranberries, cinnamon, and a great excuse to eat all the comfort foods I love.

As the weather turned cooler last week, I was craving something warm and cozy with apples in it. I immediately thought of the hearty and comforting Low-Fat Oatmeal Blueberry Applesauce Muffins I made in the Spring. I thought the whole grains, oatmeal and cinnamon would be a perfect compliment to Fall’s first apples. I made a few more changes and additions, and in no time I had warm, delicious, perfectly Fall-ish low-fat apple spice walnut muffins.

Like their inspiration, these muffins have a hearty texture. No light fluff here. They’re moist and bursting with apple flavor. To make them a little more decadent, I topped them with a maple glaze. What? I said they were low-fat, not low-calorie!

Low-Fat Apple Spice Walnut Muffins

Inspired by Joy the Baker
Makes about 12 muffins

Any oats will work, but use old fashioned or steel cut oats for a heartier texture. Depending on how sweet your apple butter is, you may need to adjust the amount of sugar in the recipe. My apple butter had no added sugar, so it wasn’t overly sweet. For an even lower-fat and healthier muffin, you can omit the walnuts and the maple glaze. Either way, they’re a delicious taste of Fall.

Ingredients for the Muffins

1 ¼ cups whole wheat flour
1 ¼ cups oats
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
½ tsp cinnamon
3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/4 cup apple butter
½ cup low-fat or non-fat buttermilk
scant (a little less than) ½ cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 tbsp canola oil
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
1 medium apple, peeled and diced (I used Fuji because they’re my favorite)

Ingredients for the Maple Glaze

2-3 tablespoons of maple syrup
1/3 cup of powdered sugar
1/4 tsp of vanilla extract

Directions

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Line a 12 cup muffin tin with paper liners or spray with nonstick cooking spray. If you plan on eating them straight out of the oven, give the liners a spritz of cooking spray so the muffins won’t stick.

Whisk together flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in a large bowl. Combine applesauce, apple butter, buttermilk, sugar, oil and the egg in a medium bowl. Make a well in dry ingredients and add applesauce mixture, stirring until just moist. (Don’t over mix them! The batter will be thicker than your average muffin batter.) Carefully fold in diced apple and walnuts.

Divide evenly among 12 muffin cups. Bake at 375°F for 16-18 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.

Combine the maple syrup, sugar, and vanilla in a small bowl until thick but pourable. Drizzle on cool muffins and allow to harden at room temperature.

The inspiration for baking both the Orange Cranberry Rosemary Muffins and these Cheddar Chive Muffins was my herb garden. Each year, I plant a small selection of herbs in pots on my deck. Having fresh herbs on hand to cook with is one of my favorite things about summer. Oh sure, you can buy them in most stores year round, but they’re expensive (compared to growing your own) and you can’t beat the flavor of fresh picked herbs. But inevitably I end up with way more herbs than I know what to do with.

The sweet Orange Cranberry Rosemary Muffins were a great way to use some of my flourishing rosemary. And these savory Cheddar Chive Muffins? Fantastic excuse to use some of my chives. Did I mention I never planted chives this year? I didn’t use them much last year, so I skipped planting them in the Spring… only to have them come back to life all on their own! You can’t ignore that kind of tenacity. The chives demanded to be used, and who am I to let them down?

If you don’t have chives, don’t worry! These muffins are very adaptable and would be great with a lot of other herbs, or even a variety of them. You could try parsley, dill, or thyme, not to mention non-herb additions like sun-dried tomatoes or bacon. They’re the perfect compliment to soups and salads, and they make a great snack all on their own.

Cheddar Chive Muffins
Adapted from Pioneer Woman
Makes 12 muffins

1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup milk
1 egg
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) melted butter (I used salted)
2-3 tablespoons of fresh chopped chives (or other herbs)
Other mix-ins (optional, such as bacon or sun-dried tomatoes)

Preheat the over to 375°F. Lightly grease or line a 12-cup muffin tin.

In a medium bowl, measure flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Whisk until combined. Stir in the shredded cheese.

In a smaller bowl, combine egg, milk, and melted butter. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Fold in herbs and other mix-ins.

Divide the batter among 12 muffins cups. Bake at 375°F for 20-25 minutes, or until the center springs back when lightly poked.

Note to self: Don’t ever half two recipes in your head and bake them simultaneously again.

I realized about halfway through measuring the ingredients for both recipes that I was just asking for a kitchen disaster. I took two completely unrelated muffin recipes, both with totally different measurements and ingredients, and decided to make half of each all in the same muffin tin. Let’s just say the odds were high that I would put the wrong ingredients in the wrong recipe, or completely screw up the measurements. I slid the muffin tin into the oven and held my breath.

The timer went off and I breathed a sigh of relief. All the muffins were done, they rose properly, and most importantly, they tasted like they should.

The sweet muffin recipe I chose for my baking adventure was Orange Cranberry Rosemary muffins. I’ve had those first two flavors together before, and I’ve had orange and rosemary together before, but never have I tried all three in one recipe. I’ve been saving a bag of cranberries in the freezer since last Fall and the rosemary in my herb garden has been doing very well, so I figured I had to give it a shot!

And oh, I’m so glad I did.

These muffins are a little sweet and a little savory. I was afraid the rosemary would make the muffins too… piney? But it doesn’t. There’s just a subtle hint of it’s woodsy flavor in the background, a nice way of rounding out the sweetness of the orange and cranberry. The rosemary just adds that little something that takes them from good to WOW. I think these would be great for company around the holidays. I will definitely make these again, probably in the Fall when it’s cranberry season once again!

Oh and that other savory muffin recipe? Next week!

Cranberry Rosemary Muffins

Adapted from The Herb Society of America’s Essential Guide to Growing and Cooking With Herbs, via Sidewalk Shoes
Makes 12 muffins

The easiest way to chop the cranberries for the recipe is to just give them a pulse or two in a food processor. Dried cranberries can be substituted, but they will be sweeter than fresh cranberries. These muffins don’t rise much, so don’t be afraid to fill the muffin cups a little more than you normally would.

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
¾ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 cup sugar
1 egg, beaten
½ cup orange juice
½ cup milk
1/3 cup butter, melted and cooled
2 tablespoons orange zest
2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
1 ½ cups of fresh cranberries, lightly chopped
½ cup chopped pecans (optional)

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Lightly grease or line a 12-cup muffin tin.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. In a smaller bowl, mix the egg, orange juice, milk, and melted butter until combined.

Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, until just combined. Fold in the orange zest, cranberries, rosemary and pecans (optional).

Spoon the batter into muffin cups, filling to just shy of the top, and bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

I don’t like eating the same thing for breakfast every day. My husband ate frozen waffles for breakfast pretty much every day for two years straight – no joke! Not me, though. Every couple of weeks I like to switch it up so I have something to look forward to in the morning.

A little while ago I came across a recipe for Oatmeal Blueberry Applesauce Muffins on Joy the Baker’s website. I like oatmeal, I like applesauce, I like blueberries, and I love muffins, so she had me with the title. As I read about the recipe, though, I realized these weren’t your ordinary blueberry muffins.

First of all, they’re low-fat. Second, they’re made with whole grains.

As much as I loved sound of the title ingredients together, I started to have doubts. Low-fat AND whole grain? Were these going to end up flavorless, bland hockey pucks?

Only one way to find out!

I have to say, Joy, I’m sorry I ever doubted your recipe. I LOVED these muffins! Seriously. I have not shut up about them since I made them. I’ve told my mom, my boss and my best friend about them. And I’ve since eaten all but one of them myself. The whole grains give the muffins a hearty, satisfying taste and the blueberries are the perfect burst of sweetness. The applesauce keeps them moist, and oh, the cinnamon. The cinnamon was my favorite part of this recipe. When they’re warm, the aroma of the cinnamon hits your nose and it’s like that feeling when you first sink into a hot tub, instantly warm and relaxing.

I loved them so much, I just might eat them for breakfast every day for the next two years.

Low-Fat Oatmeal Blueberry Applesauce Muffins
Adapted from Joy the Baker
Makes 12 muffins

Any oats will work, but use old fashioned or steel cut oats for a heartier texture. Made with whole grains and very little fat, these muffins are a guilt free breakfast treat! Go ahead, eat a second one – they’re good for you :)

1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/4 cups oats
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 cup low-fat or non-fat buttermilk
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 tbsp canola oil
1 large egg, lightly beaten
3/4 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen)

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Line a 12 cup muffin tin with paper liners or spray with nonstick cooking spray. If you plan on eating them straight out of the oven, give the liners a spritz of cooking spray so the muffins won’t stick.

In a large bowl whisk together flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Combine applesauce, buttermilk, sugar, oil and egg in a medium bowl. Make a well in dry ingredients and add applesauce mixture, stirring until just moist. (Don’t over mix them! The batter will be thicker than your average muffin batter.) Carefully fold in blueberries.

Spoon the batter into muffin cups. Bake at 375°F for 16-18 minutes.

When I told my husband I was going to make some bran muffins, his first question was “Why?” and the answer is simple. Because I like them. Despite it’s reputation for helping, uh, move things along, I’ve always just liked the taste of bran. My favorite cereal is Raisin Bran, but I’ve always thought they put WAY too many raisins in there. I usually end up just eating the flakes and leaving the raisins neglected at the bottom of the bowl.

When I came across this basic bran muffin recipe on Erin Cooks, one that didn’t feature any of those interfering raisins, I decided I had to try it out. (By the way, if you’re not reading Erin Cooks, you should be!)

The muffins were everything I hoped they would be. Very moist with a hearty flavor and just a hint of sweetness. Perfect for breakfast! It’s best to keep in mind that as good as these muffins are, you probably shouldn’t eat 3 of them at one time, if you know what I mean.

Bran Muffins
Adapted from Epicurious and Erin Cooks
Yields 12 muffins

1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 large egg, beaten lightly
1 cup plain low-fat Greek yogurt (or sour cream)
1/4 cup dark molasses
1/2 cup raisins (optional)
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup miller’s bran (Note: I couldn’t find miller’s bran in my small town, so I ended up using Oat bran instead, found in the whole foods isle.)

Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a regular sized 12-cup muffin tin with cupcake lines, if you prefer. Liners or not, give each cup a spritz with non-stick cooking spray to prevent the muffins from sticking to the pan and/or liners.

In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, and bran until combined and mostly free of lumps.

Cream the butter and brown sugar in an electric mixer with the paddle attachment until the mixture is light and fluffy. Beat in the egg, yogurt, and molasses. If using raisins, stir them in now.

Add the dry ingredients (flour, etc.) to the mixture, and stir on low speed until just combined. (The batter will be thick, almost like cookie dough, and may be lumpy.)

Spoon batter into the muffin tin and bake the muffins on the middle rack for 15 to 20 minutes (mine took about 17), or until they are golden brown and springy to the touch. Cool muffins on a rack.

(Note: These muffins freeze very well! Just heat them for about 30 seconds in the microwave and slather with butter when you’re ready to eat them. Mmmm.)