BANANA PUMPKIN ZUCCHINI BRAN MUFFINS, REVISITED

As promised, I made these muffins again so I could rate them. This time, they turned out great. I used 350F as my baking temp this time, added 1/4 cup of fat-free half and half, reduced the butterscotch and white chocolate chips just slightly and increased the pumpkin to 1/2 cup from 1/4 cup. The end result was a fluffier muffin with softer sides. I really like these. First off, there is a complex flavor here from all the veggies, chips, maple syrup, toasted walnuts and whole grains. Secondly, these are satisfying, filling and, although I can't say they're healthful, they're certainly better than filling up on fat- and sugar-laden brownies or chocolate chip cookies. (Not that I wouldn't like to, mind you. There's nothing like a chocolatey brownie or good chocolate chipper to make your day a little better.) Seriously, these muffins have lots of fiber and great taste with virtually no fat -- what's not to like? Thanks, Katrina, for a great recipe, one that I will make again and again, especially when I want to avoid hip-builders like chocolate and butter.

BANANA PUMPKIN ZUCCHINI BRAN MUFFINS, REVISTED
Rating: 9 out of 10

INGREDIENTS:
Crumb-Nut Topping:
3 Tbsp. whole wheat flour
3 Tbsp. brown sugar
3 Tbsp. oats
3 Tbsp. chopped toasted walnuts
1 Tbsp. butter, melted

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl with a spoon, fork or spatula. Set aside.

Muffins: 1/2 cup pumpkin
1 ripe banana, mashed
2 large eggs
1/3 cup sugar (or sugar substitute)
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
1/4 cup fat-free half and half
1 Tbsp. pure vanilla extract
1 cup whole wheat flour, lightly spooned & swept
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour, lightly spooned & swept
1 cup oats pulsed in food processor (or unprocessed wheat bran, if preferred)
1 tsp. sea salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1 Tbsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. powdered cloves
1/4 tsp. powdered ginger
1/16 tsp. allspice
1/2 cup toasted walnuts, chopped
1/3 cup butterscotch chips
1/3 cup white chocolate clips
2 cups grated zucchini

Preheat oven to 350F. In a large bowl, combine pumpkin, banana, sugar and eggs; whisk till well combined. Add syrup, half and half and vanilla, whisking again till smooth and well combined.In a medium bowl, combine dry ingredients, nuts and chips and whisk or stir till everything is mixed well. Add zucchini and stir with spatula till zucchini is well distributed throughout and coated with dry ingredients.Add dry ingredients to wet and stir with spatula just until moistened. Batter will be very thick and stiff. Scoop into muffin tins that have been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Top each muffin with about 1 Tbsp. crumb-nut topping, pressing in slightly so it sticks. Bake about 21 minutes, or till muffins test done: when a toothpick inserted near center returns with just a few crumbs. Cool in pan 5 minutes, then turn out on wire rack to finish cooling. Yield: 12 standard size muffins. (These are best when served warm.)

BANANA PUMPKIN ZUCCHINI WHOLE-GRAIN MUFFINS

Katrina blogged about these muffins recently, and got me interested. She found the recipe on allrecipes.com and adapted it to muffins. I love reading Katrina's blog to see what creative idea she comes up with next and also to see the photos of her adorable boys.

It took me a while to make these muffins. First I had to buy a banana. I never did buy the wheat bran, so I subbed quick oats. The banana got ripe, then I had to freeze it because I wasn't ready. By then I had used up most of my zucchini and had to go buy more just so I could make these. I was going to make a half batch, but I was sure they would be good, so I made the full batch. I should have made the half batch. Not that these weren't good. It's just that I need to make them again. The flavor is outstanding, not too spicy at all, just very well rounded and flavorful. The problem is that the muffins are very dense, and the edges are tougher, or harder, than my normal muffins, and I need to make these again, adjusting the baking temperature, to see if that helps. The batter of these muffins is unlike any batter that I have ever worked with. There is no liquid, so the batter is very thick and stiff. I really think the batter needs some liquid: yogurt?My addition of butterscotch and white chocolate chips really takes these over the top. I will definitely make these again, but I will be baking them at 350F from the start --or maybe even 325F (instead of starting them at 400F and reducing the oven temp right away to 350F, like I usually do) and will possibly add some yogurt. But next time I will make a half batch.
Update: After reading the original recipe on allrecipes.com, I saw that it calls for 1 cup of maple syrup. I used 1/2 cup, so there is 1/2 cup of syruppy liquid missing. That probably accounts for some of the density of the muffin. I'm adding 1/2 cup liquid below.

UPDATE: See my revised recipe.

Banana Pumpkin Zucchini Whole-Grain Muffins
Rating: withheld for further testing
INGREDIENTS:
Crumb-Nut Topping: 3 Tbsp. whole wheat flour
3 Tbsp. brown sugar
3 Tbsp. oats
3 Tbsp. chopped toasted walnuts
2 Tbsp. butter, melted

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl with a spoon, fork or spatula. Set aside.

Muffins: 1/4 cup pumpkin
1 ripe banana, mashed
1/4 cup sugar (or sugar substitute)
2 large eggs
1/2 cup pure maple syrup + 1/2 cup vanilla nonfat yogurt (or 1 cup maple syrup)
1 Tbsp. pure vanilla extract
2 cups whole wheat flour (or whole wheat pastry flour, if preferred), lightly spooned & swept
1 cup quick oats (or unprocessed wheat bran, if preferred)
1 tsp. sea salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1 Tbsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. powdered cloves
1/4 tsp. powdered ginger
1/16 tsp. allspice
1/2 cup toasted walnuts, chopped
1/2 cup butterscotch chips
1/2 cup white chocolate clips
2 cups grated zucchini

Preheat oven to 350F. In a large bowl, combine pumpkin, banana, sugar and eggs; whisk till well combined. Add syrup, yogurt and vanilla, whisking again till smooth and well combined.

In a medium bowl, combine dry ingredients, nuts and chips and whisk or stir till everything is mixed well. Add zucchini and stir with spatula till zucchini is well distributed throughout and coated with dry ingredients.

Add dry ingredients to wet and stir with spatula just until moistened. Batter will be very thick and stiff. Scoop into muffin tins that have been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Top each muffin with about 1 Tbsp. crumb-nut topping, pressing in slightly so it sticks. Bake about 20 minutes, or till muffins test done: when a toothpick inserted near center returns with just a few crumbs. Cool in pans 5 minutes, then turn out on wire rack to finish cooling. Yield: 12 standard size muffins.