My mom used to grow zucchini in her garden in Minnesota. She was the type of nonchalant gardener who allowed the zucchini to grow large enough to become the size of your arm. I actually never minded when the zucchini got that big because then I could stuff it with goodness and make batches upon batches of baked goodies.
Sadly I’m no longer as close to my mom since she lives in Minnesota (soon Utah!). This year I wasn’t expecting to get any free zucchini and figured I’d have to pick some up at the local’s farmer’s market. Turns out that Tony’s mom grew zucchini in her garden and so she kindly has been supplying me with all the zucchini I could ever dream of. I still have three left and have already baked three batches of muffins and two loaves of bread. Perhaps it’s time for a little something savory? Oh la la.
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These blueberry cornbread muffins have been on my mind forever. I LOVE cornbread muffins and could eat them any time of day (or year). They’re my weakness, especially when all buttered up and warm.
This time I thought that I would create a slightly sweet breakfast version that was nutritious, bursting with fresh blueberries plus a hint of maple and vanilla.
The secret to keeping them moist without using major amounts of butter/oil: Zucchini, of course! Zucchini allows you to reduce the amount of oil and/or butter in recipes without sacrificing flavor; it also adds vitamin C and plenty of antioxidants. WHOO HOO.
A note on the zucchini: You should squeeze your zucchini with a paper towel of excess moisture.
What you should know about whole wheat flour: It’s no secret that I love to bake with whole wheat flour. HOWEVER I always use whole wheat pastry flour or a white whole wheat flour. They have equal nutritional benefits, they’re just a little bit of finer consistency which means you’ll get a lighter, fluffier muffin. You can use it in bread, muffins, cakes, cookies, etc.
Almond Breeze Almondmilk: I used Almond Breeze in this recipe. I think next time I might try using the Almond Breeze Almondmilk Coconutmilk version to add a hint of coconut flavor. Yummmm.
I can’t wait for you to bake up a batch. Let me know if you do by tagging #ambitiouskitchen on Instagram or posting a photo to my Facebook page. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I LOVE seeing your AK creations!
Still looking for my zucchini recipes? Check out my Pinterest board devoted to all things zucchini!
Healthy Blueberry Zucchini Cornbread Muffins
Healthy Zucchini Cornbread Muffins bursting with fresh blueberries. Naturally sweetened with a touch of maple syrup and deliciously moist.
Ingredients
- 3/4 cups yellow cornmeal
- 1 1/3 cup whole wheat pastry flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup grated zucchini
- 1 egg, slightly beaten
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup pure maple syrup (honey will also work)
- 1 cup Almond Breeze Almondmilk Unsweetened Vanilla
- 2 tablespoons melted coconut oil
- 1 heaping cup fresh or frozen blueberries
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease two 12 cup muffin tins with nonstick cooking spray or line with paper liners. I always spray the inside of the liners so that it ensures the muffins do not stick.
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In a medium bowl, whisk flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt together. In a separate large bowl, stir together zucchini, egg, almondmilk, maple syrup, vanilla and coconut oil. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and stir until just combined. Gently fold in blueberries.
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Divide batter into greased muffin cups (you should fill about 15), filling them 3/4 full. Alternatively you could bake 12 and bake the remaining batter once the first batch is finished (only if you do not have two muffin tins).
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Bake for 15-18 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean or with just a few crumbs attached.
Recipe Notes
You can use olive oil, butter, or canola oil in place of the coconut oil if you prefer.
If your zucchini is extra moist (full of water), you may need to squeeze out the excess liquid with a paper towel. I didn't have to but sometimes zucchini can get watery. Use your best judgement.
Instead of whole wheat pastry flour, you can use white whole wheat flour. You could also try regular whole wheat flour but the muffins may become dense.
I have not tested a gluten free version of these.
Nutrition
This post is sponsored by Blue Diamond Almond Breeze. All text and opinions are my own; I love baking with their almondmilk! Thanks for continuing to support AK and the brands that help make this site possible.
39 comments
These look epic Monique- Hopefully mum can start fedex-ing you some zucchini from..Utah? Also pastry flour > wholewheat flour.
LOL thank you love!
There are so many different flours out there! I get overwhelmed, ha. But I certainly need to try this pastry flour, it sounds like it could be the answer to all my problems!
This recipe looks amazing!! I love your creations. One question – do you think a flax or chia egg would work here? I became vegan a month ago and am still experimenting with egg substitutes. Thank you so much!!
I’ve never had corn muffins in ages and I have to try this, especially since it’s healthy!
These look awesome! I love using WW pastry flour in baked goods as well.
I LOVE whole wheat pastry flour and white whole wheat flour, but have never mixed it with cornmeal! I am obsessed with cornbread and blueberries, so I need these! Pinned!
Ahahaha, the one year I did a vegetable garden the dog dug up everything except the zucchini! I had monstrous zucchini! These muffins sound so good! I am a big cornbread muffin fan so this is right up my alley.
I was obsessed with these when I saw you make them on snapchat and now I’m even more OBSESSED now that I have the recipe… I’m addicted to cornbread with a pat of strawberry butter, so I can only imagine how delicious this fruity cornbread combo tastes. Pinned!
Wow, these look ah-mazing. I admit that I’m not normally a big cornbread fan, but when it is stuffed with such wonderful ingredients like this, I am pretty sure this recipe would make a cornbread lover out of me in no time!
These a great!! Perfect size and all!!
I love corn muffins and you took these up to another level! They sound amazing!
The recipe sounds very interesting, especially with the home-grown zucchini.
These look like perfection! I’m totally digging the cornbread, blueberry, zucchini combo. Totally making these with my overabundance of zucchini!
These muffins looks so pretty and totally delicious. Growing up we had TONS of zucchini growing in our garden. At the end of summer I’m pretty sure the neighbors were running away from us for fear of us trying to give them zucchini….haha.
I love blueberry muffins. I never thought to add zucchini. Sounds delicious!
I wouldn’t have though to use Almondmilk – LOVE these!!
I LOVE cornmeal muffins, their texture is the best. My mom was the queen of swiss chard growing up. Not nearly as exciting as zucchini…
Made them! Love em!
I have unsweetened original almond milk. How much vanilla should I add to make it equivalent to unsweetened vanilla almond milk? The recipe looks awesome!
I tried making these and failed. Could it be because I used whole wheat flour and not pastry flour? At what point do you add the blueberries? Thanks!
Hi Candice! Oh no, sorry to hear that. I’d love to know if you made any other substitutions and how exactly the muffins failed. I know a few other readers have made them (and left comments) so I’m certain the recipe is good. And you add the blueberries right before baking. 🙂
Yes, the recipe sounds great! I also used honey and not syrup. I will try again with pastry flour!
Would using whole wheat pastry flour vs white whole wheat flour make these more “fluffy”? I used white whole wheat flour and they still came out great, but seemed a bit more dense than I was expecting!
Made these yesterday and got thrown a curve-ball. The instructions don’t include when to add the vanilla or blueberries. I kinda freaked out when I got to “put it in the tins” and I still had those two things sitting out, unused… Exhausted from illness, I kind of freaked out a little and my roommate had to talk some sense into me. Anyway, I managed it, and these turned out awesome! Big hit in the apartment. I even shared with my co-worker. A strange mix of things that may become a staple. Love that it sneaks veggies in! Love how subtle the sweetness is despite what seemed to me like a lot of maple syrup. The zucchini I used had been sitting around (in shredded form) for about a week, and there was slightly more than a cup, but still turned out well. Also, I used some vanilla soy milk I had sitting in the fridge instead of almond milk (pretty sure my roomie can’t have anything to do with that stuff). Thanks so much!
LOOOOOOVE these!!!!!! Ahhhh!!!! I used a mix of almond and coconut flour to replace the whole wheat flour and used 1/4 cup honey instead of 1/3 cup maple syrup and they were phenom!!!! I am so crazy about this recipe it’s not even funny. I may have eaten 3 straight out of the muffin pan….
I really enjoyed these muffins and my husband did too! Thanks for the amazing recipe! 🙂
These look amazing! Could I substitute normal milk for almond milk if need be?
Yes, of course!
Good recipe. I made a wheat-free higher-protein version. I used whole grain cornmeal (Bob’s medium grind), but used the larger measure of 1 1/3c. Then subbed 1/2c almond meal (Bob’s, fine grind) and 1/4c oat flour. Added an extra egg, used a scant cup rice milk, just 1T maple syrup, and pressed water from one large shredded zuc. Tossing frozen blueberries in the dry mixture keeps them from running everywhere. Filled 12 muffin spots, went 20m in in oven. Tipped the muffins on removal from the oven to keep them from over-steaming in their tins. Very lightly sweet, satisfying. I might increase salt to 1/2t.
These are delicious!! I used regular milk and adjusted slightly for high altitude baking, but otherwise followed exactly as written. Yum!
I jut put these in the oven, can’t wait to try them! FYI vanilla is not included in the list of wet ingredients to mix together in the directions, but I remembered to add it. Cheers!
I hope you enjoyed these, Michelle! And noted on the vanilla – thanks for the catch!
I Made these today with bobs red mill gf 1-1 flour and a water/butter mixture instead of milk. I also switched the ratio of cornmeal and flour and I am stoked on these muffins! Thanks for the delicious inspiration!
Made these tonight to go with chili-and have plenty leftover for breakfasts, freezing for later too. We enjoyed them a lot. I used nonfat Greek yogurt and milk in place of the almond milk. I think next time I’ll add some other spices, like crystallized ginger, since we like it. Thanks for a good recipe, AK!
Can I use regular oil instead of coconut oil?
Yes that should work!
Easy to bake! Fluffy and tasty.
Yay!! So glad you loved them 🙂