Baking with the Savage Mama

Nothing tastes better than something made out of a mother's kitchen or baking with them! Personally I think the Savage Mama is the best cook ever, but I'm sure you believe your mama or granny is better than mine...that's OK because I don't want to start any arguments! All I know is that we each grow accustomed to the taste of the one whose cooking we grew up eating and we should show our love, appreciation, and admiration to them! 

I hope your mama or granny was like mine. They both passed on the skill and love for cooking & baking and sharing food with others. I learned to cook & bake in my mama's and my granny's kitchen from the time I was old enough to stand-up in the chair beside them. From a very early age they both let my sister and I get our hands dirty and help cook & bake in their kitchens. My hope and desire is that one day they might get to continue this tradition with the next generation! Any young, single, Christian men out there reading my blog? LOL.  That's another story and post for another day...

I love the bounty the warm summer weather and garden brings to help out family meal times! My family always plants plenty of zucchini in the garden so that the Savage Mama can have enough on hand throughout the summer to make Chocolate Zucchini Brownies, grilled and/or sauteed zucchini, and these yummy delicious Chocolate Zucchini Muffins. So now I give you "Baking with the Savage Mama" guest writer and photographer Leah Savage the "Savage Mama"...in her own words...    

This is one of those recipes that’s made from basic ingredients in a kitchen and all you have to add is a zucchini- fresh from the garden.  I found the recipe on Penzeys website several years ago and have been enjoying it ever since.  The only thing I do different is to use rounded spoons of cocoa powder (I love Chocolate) and I use a pampered chef large scoop that is a size # 20 ( the # 20 is located on the vane that cleans the bowl of the scoop and means you can get 20 level scoops from a quart of batter).  I round this scoop up and it makes 30 muffins for me without running over my pan and making a mess.  I also use my kitchen aid mixer to totally mix the entire recipe.  The mixer cuts the zucchini up to the point you can’t even see that it is there.  I think this recipe will become a favorite of yours also.  Enjoy. 

Chocolate Zucchini Muffins

1/2 Cup milk

1/4 tsp. white vinegar

1/2 Cup room temperature butter (1 stick)

1/2 Cup vegetable oil

1 3/4 Cups white sugar

2 large eggs

2 tsp. PURE VANILLA EXTRACT

2 1/2 Cups all-purpose flour

4 TB. NATURAL COCOA POWDER

1 tsp. baking soda

1/4 - 1/2 tsp. CINNAMON

1/2 tsp. salt

2 Cups peeled and finely grated zucchini - 3 small zucchini
1 Cup chocolate chips

1/4 Cup chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 325°. Line 2 standard muffin pans with papers. Mix together the milk and vinegar and set aside (if a recipe calls for sour milk, this is how you make it).

In a large bowl, beat together the butter, oil and sugar until creamy.

Add eggs, VANILLA EXTRACT and milk/vinegar mix. Blend well.

In a separate bowl, mix together flour, COCOA POWDER, baking soda, CINNAMON and salt.

Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and stir by hand or mixer to combine.

Add grated zucchini and half the chocolate chips and stir well.

Spoon the batter evenly into the pans, filling each paper 2/3 full.

Sprinkle the other half of the chocolate chips and nuts (if using), on top and bake for about 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or the muffins spring back when lightly touched (don't touch the melted chocolate, though).

Prep. time: 15 minutes
Baking time: 20-25 minutes
Yield: 24 muffins

(Penzey’s spice company recipe taken from their website.)

So get off the computer now...go find some zucchini and make these yummy muffins. They are too delicious to just look at! Try your hand at making them today. If you need any help let the Savage Girl know and she or her mama can help. We're both good at giving tips and pointers when it comes to cooking & baking. The Savage Mama is more of an expert though since she is the Culinary Arts Instructor at the Tri-County Extension Campus of Tennessee College of Applied Technology Hartsville! Happy Baking...