zucchini spice muffins

Yesterday, to celebrate our anniversary we spent the day at Put-in-Bay, an island in Lake Erie.  It was a gorgeous day for the trip.  The day started with zucchini spice muffins and went on to include things like a boat ride, a winery tour, a pizza picnic overlooking the bay, frozen mochas, long walks, and lots of relaxation.  Any of those elements would make a good day, but together they made for an amazing day.

Start your day off right with a little sweetness, a little spiciness, and a little healthiness.  These muffins may not exactly be an island getaway, but there's pretty darn good.

Zucchini Spice Muffins
Recipe adapted from The 250 Best Muffin Recipes by Brody
Makes 12

Ingredients:

• 1 c all-purpose flour
• 1 c whole wheat flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 egg
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1/4 c applesauce
• 1/2 c sugar
• 1 c grated zucchini (or a little more, I used 1 medium zucchini)
• 1/2 c almond milk or regular milk (I used unsweetened vanilla almond milk)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and grease a 12-cup muffin tin.  In a large bowl, mix the flours, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves and salt.  In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg, vegetable oil, applesauce and sugar.  Stir in the zucchini and milk until combined.  Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until everything is just combined.  Divide the batter evenly into the greased muffin tin.  Bake for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  After baking, remove the muffins to a wire rack to cool completely before enjoying.  Store leftovers covered at room temperature or freeze extras.