Zucchini Blueberry Muffins with Oatmeal and Almonds

Zucchini Blueberry Muffins with Oatmeal, Almonds, and Brown Sugar Streusel

Hearty whole wheat and oat zucchini muffins packed with more blueberries than you thought a muffin could handle, flavored with vanilla and almond extract and covered in buttery brown sugar streusel. Is there a better way to use up that extra zucchini in your garden or refrigerator? I can’t think of one (she says with a mouthful of muffin).

It’s zucchini season ya’ll and if you don’t have a garden full of the stuff, you probably know someone who does. The first time I ever planted a garden, I planted, like, 12 zucchini plants because I had NO idea what I was doing. By August, we were eating zucchini everything, and I couldn’t give the stuff away fast enough.

That must be how zucchini muffins, zucchini bread, and zucchini cake became a thing in the first place, don’tcha think?  Thrifty gardeners with mouths to feed and armfuls of zucchini probably just started adding it to everything. And, thank goodness they did. Because, otherwise, adding shredded vegetables to sweet baked goods might not be the kind of thing most of us would think to do. And it’s delicious.

Zucchini adds a tremendous amount of moisture to baked goods.

Which is good… up to a point. Too much of a good thing is not always a good thing.

If you don’t sop up some of the water in shredded zucchini before adding it to the batter, your muffins will not hold together. They will also have a very distinct vegetable taste. And, yes, you are adding vegetables to muffins, but, you don’t want them to actually taste like a salad.

After shredding your zucchini, spread it all out onto a clean kitchen towel, roll it up and twist with all your might. You might want to do this over the sink because water will literally drip from the towel as you twist. You can also press another kitchen towel over the zucchini to sop up the moisture. Just make sure you do a thorough job of it.

Let’s talk blueberries and streusel…

There’s a lot of blueberries in these muffins. If you think you’d prefer your muffins to be gently studded with blueberries, you might not want to add so many. Personally, I love how packed these are with fruit. When you eat these warm from the oven, the blueberries contribute a cobbler-like texture that is a nice contrast to the crunch streusel on top.

And, oh! Streusel. How I love thee. My opinion on streusel is this: If you’re going to add it at all, add a lot. My love of streusel is one of the many reasons why I love using tulip paper liners. The liners stick up much higher than your muffin pan, allowing you to add more muffin batter than regular liners and holding in a generous amount of streusel.

As such, this recipe will make 12 large muffins if you use tulip liners or 24 smaller muffins if you use regular paper liners.

Used in this recipe:

Other Recipes You Might Like:

• Ginger Zucchini Bread with Lemon Glaze
• Cherry Almond Muffins with Streusel
• Blueberry Corn Muffins
• Mixed Berry Muffins with Streusel

Zucchini Blueberry Muffins with Oatmeal and Almonds

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• Author: Rebecca Blackwell
• Yield: 12-24 muffins

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Ingredients

FOR THE STREUSEL:

• 3/4 cup dark brown sugar
• 3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/3 cup old fashioned oats
• 1/3 cup chopped almonds
• 6 tbsp butter, melted

FOR THE ZUCCHINI BLUEBERRY MUFFINS:

• 1 lb zucchini (3 medium zucchini)
• 1 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 tsp almond extract
• 3/4 cup plus 1 tbsp unbleached all-purpose flour, divided
• 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup old fashioned oats, ground in a food processor (measure after grinding)
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 12–14 oz fresh blueberries (2 – 2 & 1/2 cups)

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Instructions

MAKE THE STREUSEL:

1. Add all ingredients except the butter to a medium size bowl and stir to combine and break up the brown sugar. Pour in the melted butter and use your hands or a rubber spatula to fully incorporate. Cover and set aside.

MAKE THE MUFFINS:

1. Heat your oven to 425 degrees and line a muffin pan(s) with 12 paper tulip liners or 24 regular paper liners.
2. Grate the zucchini and spread it out onto a clean kitchen towel. Twist the zucchini in the towel, squeezing and pressing to absorb as much liquid from the zucchini as possible.
3. Add the brown sugar, honey, vegetable oil, eggs, vanilla, and almond extract to a medium size bowl and whisk to combine. Stir in the zucchini.
4. In another large bowl, add the 3/4 cup all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, ground oats, cinnamon, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Stir to combine.
5. Add the zucchini mixture to the dry ingredients and stir just until all the dry ingredients are moistened.
6. In a small bowl, add the 1 tbsp all-purpose flour and blueberries. Toss to coat the blueberries in the flour. Pour the blueberries into the muffin batter and stir gently to incorporate.
7. Distribute the batter amongst the paper lined muffin pan(s). Top the batter with streusel, squeezing the streusel between your fingers to create clumps.
8. Bake the muffins for 5 minutes at 425 degrees, then reduce the temperature to 375 degrees. If making 12 large muffins, bake for 25-30 minutes longer. If making 24 small muffins, bake for 15-20 minutes longer. Test for doneness with a toothpick: stick the toothpick into one or two of the muffins and remove it. Examine the toothpick for signs of raw batter. These are very moist muffins, so crumbs might cling to the toothpick, but no raw batter should be in evidence.
9. Remove the muffin pan(s) to a wire rack and let cool for 5-10 minutes in the pan before removing the muffins from the pan.

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