Sweet Summer Squash Muffins #MuffinMonday

Sweet summer squash muffins are fabulous. Like your favorite zucchini bread, no one even suspects they contain vegetables. Even picky eaters love these!

There are many types of summer squash, in other words squash that is picked young and small so that their skins are tender enough to eat but my absolute favorite is crookneck squash. I slice it into circles and cook it with garlic (and often bacon) and can eat it all summer long. It’s one of the things I missed most living overseas. Never saw it outside the southern United States, not even once.

I’m making up for lost time this summer! 

Unfortunately for me, the rest of the family is not as enamored. They seem to think there is a limit to how often crookneck squash can be served. Which is ridiculous. I won them over to my side with these muffins though.

Sweet Summer Squash Muffins

Bake these in a normal 12-cup muffin pan or a 24-cup mini muffin pan. Even though it’s technically exactly the same amount of muffins by weight, I find the mini ones get eaten a lot faster. Who can resist a tiny muffin or three?

Ingredients

1 young crookneck squash (about 5 2/3 oz or 160g)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups or 190g flour
1/2 cup or 100g white sugar
1/2 cup or 100g dark brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 eggs
1/3 cup or 80ml milk
1/3 cup or 80ml canola oil

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Optional add in: 1/2 cup or 100g semi-sweet chocolate chips

Method

Preheat your oven to 350°F or 180°C and prepare your 24-cup mini muffin pan or 12-cup muffin pan by greasing it or lining it with muffin papers.

Grate your squash with the small holes of your grater onto a paper towel then and spread it around in a colander to drain.  Sprinkle with the 1/2 teaspoon of salt.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together your flour, sugars, baking powder and cinnamon.

In another smaller bowl, whisk together your eggs, milk, oil and vanilla.

Use the back of a spoon or rubber spatula to squeeze moisture out of the grated squash. 

Pour your wet mixture into the dry ingredients then add the grated squash.

Fold until they are just combined.  There should be some dry flour still showing. Fold in the chocolate chips, if using.

Divide the batter evenly between the muffin cups.

Bake for about 18-20 minutes or until the muffins are golden and a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the middle. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for a few minutes. Remove the muffins from the pan and cool further on a wire rack.

Enjoy!

Check out all the great muffin recipes my Muffin Monday friends are sharing today!

• Apple Streusel Muffin Tops from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Banana Mocha Chip Muffins from Making Miracles
• Dirty Chai Latte Muffins from Palatable Pastime
• Java Plum Muffins from Passion Kneaded
• Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Raspberry Rhubarb Muffins from Zesty South Indian Kitchen 
• Sweet Summer Squash Muffins from Food Lust People Love

#MuffinMonday is a group of muffin loving bakers who get together once a month to bake muffins. You can see all of our lovely muffins by following our Pinterest board. Updated links for all of our past events and more information about Muffin Monday can be found on our home page.

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