Sunshine, in muffin form

OK, so I'm not boasting, but we get our fair share of sunshine around here in California. Don't hate me - I spent the first 29 years of my life in England, so I'm owed a bit of daylight, in its brightest form. Having said that, my dog decided that it was too hot for walking today - I say decided because he simply wandered off into a patch of long grass off the trail and lay down in the shade panting. The upside of this is that it gave me time to bake when I got home, and who am I to turn down a recipe called Sunny Zucchini Muffins? And these really are sunshine in muffin form.

I kind of like it when ingredients are used in less expected ways - don't get me wrong, zucchini is fabulous as a vegetable side, and a great addition to savory dishes, no doubt, but I love it in sweet dishes too. And for this recipe, since I didn't have the walnuts in the original recipe, I used some pine nuts I had in the cupboard (another impulse buy in bulk from Costco, with visions of homemade pesto all the time). Maybe it is my response to never having had a rebellious phase in my youth. I didn't dabble with danger: never got a tattoo, have never ridden a motorbike, have only two piercings, one in each ear, and never climbed out of my bedroom window for a secret liaison (wouldn't have actually been physically dangerous, given it was on the first floor, but the parental wrath would no doubt have made up for that). But whilst there is no skull and cross-bones or esoteric Japanese phrase adorning my pasty white British shoulder, I will make a stand against convention by using zucchini and pine nuts in a muffin. Oh, and while we're at it, my favorite cake is carrot cake. I know, I am a badass. Mess with me, and I may make putty of you by offering you a brownie or delicious pecan bar. Hah!

The recipe is taken from my favorite muffin cookbook 750 Best Muffin Recipes by Camilla Saulsbury. So for those of you not as fortunate with the weather, here really is a dose of sunshine in muffin form. Take a bite, lean back on that deck-chair, even if it is in the living room, and soak up some rays.

Sunny Zucchini Muffins
Makes 12

2 cups AP flour
1 TBSP baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/3 cup canola oil
2 tsp finely grated lemon zest
1 cup grated zucchini
1/2 cup toasted pine nuts
1/2 cup golden raisins

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Spray cups of 12-cup muffin tin with canola oil spray.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together sugar and eggs until well blended. Whisk in milk, oil, and lemon zest until blended.
4. Add egg mixture to flour mixture and stir until just blended.
5. Gently fold in zucchini, raisins and pine nuts.
6. Use a large scoop to divide batter evenly between muffin cups of prepared tin.
7. Bake in preheated oven for 20-25 mins, or until tops are golden and a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean.
8. Let cool in pan on rack for 5 minutes and then remove muffins to a rack to cool.