Zucchini and Sweet Potato Muffins (or Bread)

Last week I got a big box of Zucchini from Costco, so I decided to make some Zucchini Bread. However, for a change, I wanted to find a recipe alittle more interesting than the usual basic Zucchini bread I make (although it is very good). I checked the internet and found a Sweet Potato and Zucchini Bread recipe on the Epicurious website. I made a few changes to make it alittle healthier, so here is my verison below.

Zucchini and Sweet Potato Muffins or Bread

1 c. Unbleached White Flour
1 c. Whole Wheat Pastry Flour
2 tsp. ground Cinnamon (I used Cassia cinnamon from Vietnam)
1 tsp. Baking Soda
1/4 tsp. Rumford Baking powder
1/4 tsp. Salt
1 1/2 c. Sucanat, or Rapadura (organic cane sugar)
1/2 c. applesauce (natural, no sugar added)
1/4 c. vegetable oil
3 large eggs
1 tsp. Vanilla extract
1 1/2 c. grated Zucchini (about 1 and 1/2 medium sized zucchini)
1 1/2 c. grated Sweet Potato (I used a Japanese variety, as shown in the photo below)
1 c. lightly toasted, chopped Walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 F / 180 C. If using a bread pan, butter and flour it (about 9x5x3 size). For muffins, line muffin tin with muffin papers or use reusable silicon baking cups as I did. Place the "Sili-Cups" on a cookie sheet.

Sift dry ingredients (the first 5 ingredients listed, do not mix in the sugar (Sucanat/Rapadura) yet). I split into two basically equal parts when measuring and then sifted each half together into one large bowl. It is important to sift the dry ingredients well so that you do not end up with unbaked lumps of flour in the finished product.

Beat eggs in a small bowl. Measure sugar, applesauce, oil and vanilla and put into a large bowl. Stir in the eggs into the large bowl and mix thouroughly with the sugar, applesauce, oil and vanilla. Add in the zucchini and sweet potato until mixed completely. Lastly, add in dry ingredients mixture about half at a time, mixing until wet the first addition, then just mixing until wet the addition of the second half. DO NOT OVER MIX. Fold in the walnuts just until evenly mixed.

Fill the muffin cups or papers to no more than 3/4 full. During baking, these rise abit but not alot. If making bread instead of muffins, put the batter into the prepared bread pan. I like to use an AirBake bread pan so that I never get burnt edges.

This recipe filled 12 Sili-Cups and then I had batter left over to also fill about 1/3 to 1/2 of a bread pan as well. I baked everything at the same time, by placing the Sili-Cups around the bread pan that was centered on the cookie sheet.

Bake for about 25 minutes for muffins. Full bread pan will take about double the baking time. My partially filled bread pan finished baking at the same time as the muffins. You can check muffins or the bread for doneness by inserting a clean knife or bamboo skewer. If it comes out clean, it's done!

Japanese Sweet Potato

Top left to right: Beaten eggs, shredded zucchini and sweet potato, mixed dry ingredients, toasted chopped walnuts and lg. bowl with sugar, applesauce, oil and vanilla. Shown here just before the final mixing together.

"Sili-Cups" (re-usable silicon baking cups)
ready for filling. I bought mine at Williams-Sonoma.

Close up of finished muffins...they're really good!