If you love zucchini bread, just wait until you try brown butter zucchini muffins! These delicious portable snacks are seriously so tender and soft with a delicious toasty flavor from the brown butter.
tbh, I was NOT excited to try making zucchini muffins. I had never tried them before and I was always worried they would just end up tasting like a zucchini with sugar sprinkled on top.
Thankfully not true!
Trust me when I say these are seriously delicious. Like delicious enough to write home about.
While the zucchini adds a pop of pretty green color, some added nutrition, and a whoooollleee lot of moisture, you do NOT taste it!
This recipe is based on my favorite carrot muffins recipe, with a few tweaks to make it special!
what makes these muffins so good?
Well, first and foremost: butter... And not just ANY butter. *Browned butter.
While most zucchini bread / muffin recipes use oil, I thought this classic treat could use a little added oomph in the form of butter. It adds extra depth of flavor, richness, and everything's better with butter amiright?
I'm right.
Aside from that, these muffins have the BEST texture: super moist, super soft and pillowy, could honestly squish it for days if the temptation to scarf them all down wasn't strong enough.
Seriously not an exaggeration when I say these are hands down the MOST moist muffins I've ever had. Period.
And my personal favorite quality in a dessert that I love: ready in no time with very little effort! Because it just means you can get to enjoying these bad boys *that* much quicker.
brown butter zucchini muffin ingredients
• browned butter: I go over how to brown butter in the recipe below, but for more information and a more detailed walkthrough for how to brown butter, check out this post I made! This is one of the biggest differences between these muffins and my carrot muffins (which use oil instead)
• flour
• baking powder + baking soda
• salt
• ground cinnamon + nutmeg: classic spices that pair beautifully with the muffins! It kind of feels like a blend of summer and fall - and I am HERE for the fall vibes!
• granulated + brown sugar: a combo yields a perfect blend of structure and moisture
• eggs
• milk: another little tweak from my carrot muffin recipe. Milk helps loosen up the batter to the perfect consistency
• vanilla extract
• zucchini: wouldn't be much of a zucchini muffin without it, now would it?
how to make brown butter zucchini muffins
1. Brown butter. Cool the butter before using. It doesn't need to be room temperature (warm is fine, just not piping hot!)
2. Whisk together dry ingredients.
3. Whisk together wet ingredients.
4. Fold zucchini into wet ingredients.
5. Mix together wet and dry ingredients. And you officially have your muffin batter all ready!
6. Portion batter into muffin cups. This recipe makes 10 to 12 muffins - that varies depending on how much batter your muffin cups hold. Fill each cup to the very top for the perfect muffin top!
7. Bake & cool! Cool the muffins completely in the tin before serving!
Mimi's tips
• wring out the zucchini. Zucchini can pack in a lot of extra water, so it's best to lightly squeeze out any excess before adding it to the batter.
• watch the brown butter. The biggest issue that you could have with this recipe is the butter burns. So keep an eye out on it and take it off the heat and pour into a bowl as soon as it's ready!
• don't overmix the batter. It's like rule no. 1 in muffin making. Overmixed batter will lead to flat, dense, dull, sad muffins. And this is a flat-dense-dull-sad-muffin-free zone!
• fill your muffin cups to the very top! That's the key to a perfectly risen muffin top. You'll notice these muffins have slightly flatter tops than say my bakery-style chocolate chip muffins, but that's just because of how freaking moist they are!
• cool the muffins in the tin. These beauties are so moist, they can handle being left with the residual heat of the pan! Plus they're pretty difficult to take out while they're still super warm and super soft.
muffin storage
Keep these muffins in an airtight container or plastic bag. These will keep for up to 4 days at room temperature or around 1 week in the fridge.
To freeze zucchini muffins, place in a freezer bag, push out as much air as you can and seal. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw on your counter for a few hours or in the fridge overnight before enjoying!
Check out these other recipes!
Small Batch Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Muffins
Apple Crumb Muffins
Dairy-Free Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins
Blueberry Muffins
Brown Butter Zucchini Muffins Recipe
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 10 to 12 muffins
Description
If you love zucchini bread, just wait until you try brown butter zucchini muffins! These delicious portable snacks are seriously so tender and soft with a delicious toasty flavor from the brown butter.
Ingredients
- ½ cup (1 stick / 115g) unsalted butter (cut into 8 slices)
- 1 & ½ cups (180g) all-purpose flour, spoon and leveled
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ cup (100g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (100g) packed brown sugar, light or dark
- 2 large eggs
- ¼ cup (60mL) milk
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 & ½ cups (165g) shredded zucchini, lightly packed (about 1 large zucchini)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375°F. Line a 12 count muffin tin with paper liners and set aside.
- Brown butter: To brown your butter, place the slices of butter in a medium sized skillet. Set over medium heat and cook, stirring frequently, until it becomes a deep golden brown color. This'll take about 5 to 8 minutes.
- As soon as the butter browns, pour it into a heat safe bowl. If you notice any burnt bits at the bottom of the skillet, leave them behind and discard those once they cool down. Let the brown butter cool for 15 minutes or until no longer hot before using.
- Make the muffin batter: In a medium sized bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine your cooled browned butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, eggs, milk, and vanilla. Whisk to combine.
- Gently squeeze the shredded zucchini over a bowl to wring out any excess liquid then fold it into the wet ingredients. Add flour, and mix until just combined. Take care not to over mix!!
- Portion the batter into your muffin cups, filling each cup to the top. Bake in your preheated 375°F oven for 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown and a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. The tops may look shiny but the edges should be golden brown.
- Cool the muffins completely in the tin. Serve warm or at room temperature!
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
Enjoy!
Add a Comment