Green Veggie Mini Muffins

Noah and I love mini muffins. For me, they're the perfect snack in the morning when I don't have time for breakfast, and they make a great addition to Noah's lunches as I mentioned in this post. Today, I managed to get out of the office on time and Tony took Noah on a run, which meant I had an hour to myself and decided it was time for some baking (plus, what a fantastic excuse not to vacuum!).
Last time I made muffins, I used this recipe for Veggie Monster Muffins. They tasted great and the recipe allowed for lots of substitutions, but they were a bit more work than the ones I made today. Both taste delicious, but the Veggie Monster Muffins had a thicker, fuller, healthier feel (I'm blaming it on the bananas and carrots). Today's Green Veggie Mini Muffins (I found the recipe here) look prettier and taste fluffier. I doubled the below recipe and got 24 mini muffins and 9 regular size ones.

Ingredients
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce (I used our homemade applesauce from last year)
1 large egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup fresh spinach, packed (or 1 cup grated zucchini, or 1 cup vegetable of your choice, I used kale)
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons canola oil
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

1. puree the vegetables with the applesauce, egg, vanilla, sugar and oil.

 

I love using my KitchenAid hand blender for things like this. Our blender just doesn't do the job and this is probably my favorite tool in our kitchen. I kept slowly adding more kale and liquids until the mix had a nice smooth texture. I added the eggs last to avoid over-mixing.

 

2. In a separate bowl, mix all dry ingredients: whole wheat flour, all purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt 

3. Make a pool in the middle and pour in the puree. Mix the dry and wet ingredients until just combined.

I thought the batter was too dry, so I added some milk and yoghurt until it was smooth but not runny.

 

4. Scoop batter into a greased mini muffin pan, filling each cup about 2/3 of the way.
Bake 10-12 minutes at 350 degrees.

 That's it! Didn't they turn out so pretty? I love the color! 

And they're the perfect size for Noah's little hands. 

Give it a try and let me know what you think! Happy Baking!