I love Autumn.

It means scarves and sweaters, hot tea and cinnamon.

And muffins.

I first discovered this amazing, healthy muffin recipe when my son was a vegetable-averse toddler. He loved them, and I ate them two at a time. These quickly became a staple in our house, and I even cupcake-ified them for my daughter’s first birthday—with a vegan cream cheese frosting, they passed as a sweet treat, while still full of nutrition.

Ingredients:

Dry:

• 1.5 cups flour—can be whole wheat, spelt or gluten-free flour
• 1/3 cup melted butter (or canola oil to make them vegan)
• 1.25 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 heaping tsp. cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. nutmeg

Wet:

• 3 eggs (or substitute ¾ cup of applesauce for vegan)
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1/2 cup agave nectar
• 1 medium to large zucchini, grated
• 2 medium carrots, grated
• 1/3 cup frozen spinach or kale, well chopped (especially if your kids are suspicious about vegetables!)
• 1 or 2 very ripe bananas, mashed (tip—I stuff overripe bananas in the freezer for use in recipes like this one, then just thaw them out and peel when it’s time to cook)

Mix all of the dry ingredients together in one bowl. Then, mix all wet ingredients, including veggies and fruit, together in a separate bowl. Combine the two until they’re well-blended, then pour into muffin tins.

Bake at 350 degrees for somewhere between 18 and 25 minutes—you’ll know they’re ready when you can insert a toothpick into the center and it comes out clean. This recipe makes just over a dozen regular sized muffins.

You can also add chocolate chips or nuts to this recipe as desired.

Enjoy!

Author: Lynn Shattuck 

Image: Korona Lacasse Flickr 

Editor: Renée Picard