Carrot Zucchini Oatmeal Mini Muffins
If there’s one thing I can always use more of, it’s family-friendly snack recipes. If you have young kids at home, it seems like they are constantly asking for something to snack on! I try to make it a habit to always have some healthy options on hand whether it be some cut up fruits and veggies, cheese and crackers, or baked goods.
Enter the carrot zucchini oatmeal mini muffins - loaded with vegetables, fruits and whole grains, these muffins make for a perfect snack at home or on-the-go. I bake these at least once a month and freeze extras since they’re toddler-approved, safe for baby-led weaning, and are exactly what I need for an afternoon pick-me-up with coffee!
This recipe can be easily modified to your liking by adding in some chopped walnuts or hemp seeds, substituting raisins for the chocolate chips, or omitting the chocolate altogether. Probably my favourite thing about this recipe is that you don’t have to squeeze out the liquid from the zucchini! You can just grate it directly into the mixing bowl just before incorporating it into the batter; easy baking for the win. This recipe has been tweaked so many times over the past couple years that I can’t even recall where they started! All I know is I think I’ve finally perfected them but I’ll let you be the judge.
Give these muffins a try and let me know if they’re making snack time a little easier and sweet!
Carrot Zucchini Oatmeal Mini Muffins
PREP TIME: 15 min
COOK TIME: 15 min
TOTAL TIME: 30 min
Makes 24-36
INGREDIENTS:
1 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup quick oats
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 large ripe banana
1/2 cup canola oil
1 large egg
1/3 cup maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup zucchini, grated
1 cup carrot, grated
1/3 cup hemp seeds (optional)
1/2 cup chocolate chips (optional)
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350 degree Fahrenheit. Grease mini muffin pan or coat with non-stick cooking spray.
In medium bowl, combine flour, oats, baking powder and cinnamon. Set aside.
In large bowl, mash ripe banana. Whisk in oil, egg, maple syrup and vanilla extract.
Add flour mixture to banana mixture and stir until just combined.
Grate carrot and zucchini directly into bowl. Add chocolate chips and hemp hearts, if using. Stir gently to incorporate added ingredients.
Evenly distribute batter throughout mini muffin pan.
Bake for 13-15 minutes or until toothpick inserted into centre of a muffin comes out clean.
Let muffins rest in pan before moving to a cooling rack.
Additional Notes:
These mini muffins freeze well so go ahead and even double the recipe so you’ll always have some on hand!
This recipe yields 24-36 muffins depending on how deep your mini muffin pan is, and if you decide to add/omit the chocolate chips, hemp seeds, nuts, etc.
