baking with vegetables

True to tradition, we have gone from summer, (90 and humid) to fall (65 and windy) in one week! Oh, Minnesota.

Since baking weather has returned, and the farmer's market is still full of gorgeous produce, I decided to incorporate some of my haul this week into a couple of baking projects!

First, Carrot Muffins:

I loosely based my recipe on one I found while internet searching, but I have to say, my version is so fabulous, I may never try the "real" version! Recipe:

Combine dry ingredients:
1 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
1 cup chickpea flour
1 1/4 cups sugar (I was afraid this was going to be too sweet, but it's quite nice, actually -- you could cut down to a cup safely, though.)
3/4 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp Penzey's Baking Spice
1 cup unsweetened coconut
1/2 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped finely

Combine wet ingredients:
3 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup canola oil
1/4 cup applesauce
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups grated carrot
1 large apple, grated (you can peel this if you like; I didn't)

Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients just until combined. Bake in lined muffin tins at 350 for about 24 minutes. Cool in the pans 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack. Makes about 20 muffins.

These are FANTASTIC! They are sweet, but not overly so, and chock-full of tasty ingredients. I especially love the nuttiness from the finely-chopped, toasted walnuts. Yum! The chickpea flour will help pack a protein punch, too, so these guys will have some staying power for breakfasts this week. P.S. I love coconut!

Project #2 -- Zucchini Cookies!

My version is also loosely based on an internet recipe, but I HAD to add a little whole-wheat flour, a little more zucchini than originally called for, and of course, chocolate chips. :) Here's my recipe:

Combine:
1/2 cup raisins
enough hot water to cover

Combine dry ingredients:
3/4 cup AP flour
3/4 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp Penzey's Baking Spice
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 3/4 cups regular rolled oats
1/2 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

Cream together:
1/2 cup butter at room temperature
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup natural granulated sugar

Stir into butter mixture:
1 egg, beaten
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 medium zucchini, grated and obvious water squeezed out (1 1/2 to 2 cups)
drained raisins

Stir dry ingredients into wet until combined. Drop by 2-tablespoon fulls onto parchment-lined cookie sheets. Bake at 350 for about 12 minutes. Cool on a wire rack. Makes about four-dozen cookies, give or take.

These cookies are glorious! They have a lot going on, but I love cookies like this. You can't really taste the zucchini, (but you can see beautiful flecks of green -- you'll want to peel your zucchini before grating if you're trying to sneak veg into green-phobic people,) which is fine, because the warm spices, nuts, chocolate, raisins, and oats combine to make a great, loaded cookie! Mmmmm! The zucchini will keep these babies nice and soft, too, which will please soft-cookie lovers (like Dan.)

We are SET for treats! Yum.