Apple Zucchini Muffins (Gluten-free, Dairy-free)

I pride myself on staying true to my Idaho roots, so when September rolls around I am officially ready for fall.  I crave pumpkin, butternut squash, apple, cinnamon, sweet potatoes…anything that reminds me of my favorite time of year.  The problem is—I now live in California and in California, the month of September brings beach weather (for me and Kula Baby) and good surfing (for my husband).  We’ve had some of the best beach days of the entire summer lately but I’m ignoring them.  O.K., I’m not totally ignoring them… we do head to the beach each day for a lovely afternoon, but once we step indoors I revert back to my fall season make-believe by popping a batch of muffins into the oven.

These muffins are a great way to use up your summer squash while still tasting the flavors of fall with cinnamon and nutmeg spices.  I was inspired by the Maple Spice Muffins in Jessica Seinfeld’s Double Delicious cookbook, however, I changed many of the ingredients.  As always, I substituted gluten-free and dairy-free ingredients, but these substitutions are not necessary if you can tolerate gluten and dairy.

Apple Zucchini Muffins (makes 12)

Ingredients:

1/4 cup unrefined, organic coconut oil (great for the brain!)

1/2 cup maple syrup

1 (6oz) cup of dairy-free vanilla yogurt (I used coconut milk yogurt)

1 large egg

1 medium-sized zucchini, grated (I used my trusty food processor to speed the grating process)

1 small apple, grated

2 cups of gluten-free flour (I used Bob’s Redmill GF baking mix)

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 cup chia seeds (optional, but I love them)

1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon allspice

A dash or two of nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a 12 cup muffin tin with cups.

In a large bowl combine the coconut oil, maple syrup, egg, yogurt, zucchini and apple.

In a separate bowl combine the dry ingredients-flour, baking soda, baking powder, chia seeds, salt and spices.

Sprinkle the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and combine.  Do not over mix.

Fill each muffin cup 3/4 full and bake for 20-25 minutes.  Store in an airtight container for up to 2 days or freeze for up to one month.