Zucchini Chocolate Chip Muffins

Muffins. Muffins, muffins, muffins. They have been difficult for me the past few years. Finally, some that have worked and proven to be a post-worthy recipe. I've included must-do tips too...

First, I have this dark non-stick muffin pan and it's taken me 13 years to solve the burnt outside/barely done inside problem: lower oven temp. Usually, 25 degrees less would do the trick, but I've also recently realized my oven cooks a little hot (the same amount of time Ilene cooked her granola, mine was burnt). SO. For this recipe, even though it says 350, I put my oven at 320 degrees for the dark pans(minus 25 for the dark color and minus 5 to compensate for my oven) and 345 degrees for regular aluminum. They came out moist on the inside and just a touch crispy on the outside at about 19-20 minutes. My perfection.

The original recipe calls for *white flour, and a few other things, but I followed one of the comments to make them healthier so that I can double them, freeze them and have them ready for a running-late-before school breakfast. Anything that will help me avoid cereal, I'm up for. I dread the cereal aisle for two reasons. I don't feel confident that more than two of them are health approved, and I get tired of buying the same ones.

Anyway here's the recipe:

Zucchini Chocolate Chip Muffins

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups whole wheat*
• 2/3 cup white sugar(or less depending)
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup non-sweetened apple sauce(or one little prepackaged tub)

• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup shredded zucchini (next time i'm going to do MEDIUM grated zucchini so it isn't as wet. I did small grated on accident and I had to strain it so it wasn't a bunch of water...the milk takes care of any needed moisture, I would guess. Small grated zucchini has a tenancy to stay in mushy clumps and is harder to spread through the batter without over mixing. So I'll do a medium grater next time, even though these were still super yummy)
• 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts(I don't put these in)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (see my notes above). Grease 12 muffin cups, or line with paper muffin liners.
2. Combine flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl. Mix egg, oil, milk, lemon juice, and vanilla extract in a bowl; stir into dry ingredients until just moistened. Fold in zucchini, chocolate chips, and walnuts. Fill prepared muffin cups 2/3 full.
3. Bake in preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes.

 P.S. I'd like to try these non-chocolate-chip ones and compare because the nutmeg is tempting to add...let me know if you try them and like them!