Chocolate Courgette Muffins
Chocolate courgette muffins are based on an American muffin or ‘quick bread’ recipe and are a great way to enjoy a sweet treat and also receive a vitamin intake.
There are two different types of muffin; there is the English flat bread muffin which uses yeast as a raising agent, and there are American or ‘quick bread’ muffins which use bicarbonate of soda [baking soda] as a raising agent.
The two varieties are quite different in texture, appearance, history and taste. English flatbread muffins date back to the tenth century where they were first made by Welsh peasants, they were a very popular and easy to make food that was especially popular with the very poorest in society right up to the 20th century. Their popularity was such that between the 17th and 19th centuries they even graced the tables of the nobility, though even through this time they were an essential staple for the poorer classes and factory workers in the early days of the industrial revolution.
The American muffin or ‘quick bread’ muffin did not come about until the end of the 18th century with the discovery of Pearlash, which is a refined form of potash and was the very first synthetic raising agent ever produced. Pearlash was a major game changer in the world of baking and it’s importance to modern cuisine cannot be overstated. Pearlash recipes are mentioned several times in Amelia Simmons’s American Cookery (from 1796 it pre-dates baking powder (1857) by over 60 years) and the popularity of light fluffy baked goods has never looked back since then!
Chocolate Courgette Muffins will be a must for chocolate lovers, and also for anyone with a sweet-tooth that also wants some nutrition with their snack. The natural sugars of the courgette add a depth of sweetness to any baked goods, and this classic recipe is no exception.
Courgette or Zucchini depending on which continent you grew up on are full of manganese, lutein, zeaxanthin and vitamins A and C, these nutrients combine to contribute to healthy vision, may lower blood pressure, cholesterol, and other risk factors for heart disease and contribute to bone health.
Go on, have another Chocolate Courgette Muffin!
Chocolate Courgette Muffins
Equipment
- 1 24 cup muffin tin 3.5cm or 2.5 inches
- Paper cases optional optional
- 1 Electronic digital scales
- Piping bag with small to medium nozzle optional
Ingredients
- 2 medium eggs
- 133 grams caster sugar [4 3/4 ounces] Note 1
- 100 ml Rapeseed Oil [ 3.4 ounces] or quality vegetable based oil
- 25 grams unsweetened cocoa powder [2 Tablespoons]
- 2.5 ml vanilla extract [1/2 teaspoon] good quality
- 83 grams courgette, grated [1/3 cup] washed, with skin on
- 125 grams plain flour [4.4 ounces]
- 2 gram bicarbonate of soda [baking soda] 1/3 teaspoon
- 1 gram baking powder 1/8 teaspoon
- 1 gram ground cinnamon 1/8 teaspoon
- 1 gram ground nutmeg 1/8 teaspoon
- 1 gram ground cloves 1/8 teaspoon
- 1 gram ground cardamom 2-3 pods, seeds crushed using a mortar and pestle [Note 2]
- 60 grams chopped walnuts [1/4 cup]
Instructions
- Gather and weigh your ingredients
- Preheat oven to 180c [355F] Lightly grease or line the muffin tray with paper cases or silicone muffin cases [Note 3]
- In a large bowl, beat the eggs, then beat in the sugar and oil. Add the cocoa, vanilla and courgette and stir well.
- In another large bowl, sift together the dry ingredients: flour, bicarb, baking powder and spices.
- Fold the dry ingredients into the wet mix. Mix through until just incorporated- do not over mix!
- Put the mix into a piping bag and fit a small to medium nozzle. OR using two small teaspoons, to fill the cases 2/3. Wipe off any spilled mix before putting the tin in the oven.
- Pipe the mixture into the cases- filling 2/3 of the way.
- Bake for 12-15 minutes or until a knife inserted comes out clean
- Remove from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes.
- Remove the muffins from the tin and cool on a wire rack.
- Store in an air-tight container for up to 3 days. Freeze for up to one month
