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Super Superhero Muffins

Last school year I had the privilege of chaperoning a group of high schoolers to a weekend-long drama competition. I knew in advance that our hotel would offer breakfast, but I didn’t know where the rest of our meals would be coming from over the three day event. I decided to make Super Superhero Muffins to share with my fellow chaperone and teacher. It turns out that these were the most nutritious things we ate all weekend. The kid’s meals were covered, but the meals we chaperones managed to eat were at odd times and not too healthy. These muffins travel really well and taste great at any temperature.

The original Superhero Muffin recipe comes from an awesome cookbook called Run Fast East Slow by marathoner and Olympic athlete Shalane Flanagan and chef Elyse Kopecky.  With almond flour, oats, vegetables, nuts and spices athletes love them for their amazing taste, nutrition and energy.  This cookbook is chock full of recipes, great for runners, athletes or anyone.  See the book Run Fast. Eat Slow Here

I’ve made these muffins many times to have on hand following tough workouts and for quick breakfasts for my family. Over the years, I’ve made a few changes to suit our family’s tastes. They have a long list of ingredients. But I find that once I get the zucchini and carrots shredded, the recipe comes together really fast.

Also, any time I share these muffins with family or friends, I am asked to bring them again to the next function. Recently at a bbq, my friend made a point of snagging one from the basket and putting it in her purse for later. Ultimate compliment!

Do yourself a favor and gather your ingredients in advance. This will make prep time go faster. (Also, you may note from this pic that I used a combination of white flour and almond flour – It was only because I was almost out of almond flour. The recipe was no longer gluten free, but it still tasted great with the combination of 1 cup almond flour and 1 cup of wheat flour. Still, my favorite is to use 100% almond flour.)

The muffin batter doesn’t expand too much, so fill those muffin cups to the top.

 

I hope you enjoy these moist, nutrition filled muffins as much as we have. Thanks to Shalane Flanagan and Elyse Kopecky for the original recipe!

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Super Superhero Muffins

Zucchini, carrots, walnuts, oats, spices and chocolate oh my! These muffins come to us by way of marathon runner and Olympic athlete Shalane Flannigan and chef Elyse Kopecky in their cookbook Run Fast. Eat Slow. It was love at first bite when I baked these. Since then, I've made a few changes for my own tastes which I share with you here. 

Course Breakfast
Cuisine American
Keyword brunch, energy food, flourless, healthy, low carb, lunchbox, party food, vegetarian
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Servings 12
Author Jessica Nelson

Ingredients

  • 2 cups almond meal
  • 1 cup old fashioned oats
  • 1/2 cup walnuts, finely chopped
  • 1/2 cup dried cranberry, golden raisin & cherry medley
  • 2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 3 eggs, beaten
  • 1 cup zucchini, grated approx. 1 zucchini
  • 1 cup carrot, shredded approx. 2 carrots
  • 1/2 cup butter, melted
  • 1/2 cup grade A pure maple syrup
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
  • 12 paper muffin cups

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper muffin cups. 

  2. Using a box grater or a food processor, shred the zucchini and then the carrots. Set aside. 

  3. Combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl: almond meal, oats, walnuts, dried fruit medley, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda and salt. 

  4. Combine the wet ingredients in a separate bowl: eggs, butter, syrup and vanilla. Add in the zucchini and carrots. 

  5. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients until combined. Your batter will be slightly sticky, but not runny. Add in the chocolate chips.

  6. Spoon the batter into muffin cups, filling completely. Bake for approximately 25-30 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. When finished, the muffins will change color slightly, to a golden brown.