Zucchini Loaves and Muffins

Right now everyone has an abundance of zucchini in their gardens, and I have managed to get my hands on a couple of nice large zucchini.  Over the last couple of weeks I have made some zucchini loaves and some zucchini muffins, both of which are great for breakfast and for snacking.  The original recipe was my grandmothers, and it has been a favorite as long as I can remember.

The first time I made the recipe, instead of 1 cup of oil I used 3/4 cup unsweetened apple sauce and 1/4 cup butter.  These loaves turned out amazing! I froze one loaf, and found that these freeze exceptionally well.  This substitution worked perfectly, and cut out the oil which is always a bonus. I finished these loaves in record timing, I think I ate some slices with just about every meal!


The second time I made this recipe, I made one loaf and a dozen muffins.  I tried using 2 cups of whole wheat flour and 1 cup of regular flour, instead of 3 cups of regular flour.  I didn't have any unsweetened apple sauce left, so I cut the oil down to 2/3 cup, and used about 2 1/2 cups of grated zucchini instead of 2 cups in order to maintain the moisture level.  These came out just as fluffy as the first batch (despite the addition of some whole wheat flour), but you could taste the addition of the whole wheat flour a little bit. I personally thought these were absolutely delicious, but I do know that some people do not enjoy whole wheat flour in their baking.  I think I will make these with whole wheat flour from now on because I really enjoyed them and I love the additional benefits of whole wheat flour.

Next time I make these, I will use both the unsweetened apple sauce substitution, and the whole wheat flour (in addition to regular flour).  This is such a delicious recipe, and the loaves or muffins are great for breakfast, lunches, or make an awesome snack!


I have included the original recipe, as well as the different variations I have tried so far.  Please feel free to play with recipes, you never know what you might discover! This recipes make 2 loaves.


Zucchini Loaf 

• 3 eggs, beaten
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 2 1/4 cups sugar
• 2 cups grated zucchini
• 1 tbsp vanilla
• 3 cups flour
• 1 tbsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 1/4 tbsp baking powder

1. Butter the two loaf pans, then dust with flour. Preheat your oven to 375 F
2. Combine the vegetable oil, sugar, zucchini, and vanilla, then beat well
3. Add the eggs and continue beating until fully mixed
4. Sift together the flour, cinnamon, salt, baking soda, and baking powder
5. Add the dry ingredients to the wet, and mix well
6. Pour into the two prepared loaf pans, and then bake for 45 - 55 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center
7. Enjoy!

Variations/Options

• The cup of oil can be removed and substituted with unsweetened apple sauce (1:1 substitution), or a combination of unsweetened apple sauce and butter (to make up 1 cup)
• You can use 2 cups of whole wheat flour with 1 cup of regular flour, instead of 3 cups of regular flour
• You can also use less oil if you do not wish to substitute apple sauce, and use a larger amount of grated zucchini in the recipe.
• If you wish to make muffins instead of loaves, you can butter and flour your muffin tins, or use paper cupcake liners.  Bake for 20 - 25 minutes at 375 F; the muffins are done when a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center of a muffin