Yep, another muffin post, and yep, it's about silicone bakewear again!
I've decided that silicone kitchen wear is my new favorite thing, so whenever I see any at a discount or as a freebie, I snatch it up. I got this 12 cup silicone muffin pan at a discount in exchange for my honest and unbiased review, and was anxious to try it, and since a friend was bringing me some zucchini, the timing was perfect to try a batch of muffins today.
I've never made anything with zucchini before, or if I have, it's been so many years that I don't even remember, but I do love zucchini bread and muffins, so decided that would be on the list to make. I looked around for recipes and came across one for chocolate zucchini muffins that sounded really good, so that was first into the oven today.
I followed the recipe pretty closely, except I substituted applesauce for half of the oil, and I used cinnamon but not the other spices (I added more cinnamon than the recipe called for, but didn't really measure, just dumped it in).
They came out awesome! They're very moist, but held together well. There was just enough chocolate flavor in them to make them a sort of sweet treat, without being over the top like some specialty muffins you see in the bakery with all sorts of frosting and other toppings. I really shouldn't eat them at all (carbs!), but figured cheating with a chocolate zucchini muffin was better than cheating with a chocolate candy bar.
So ... the muffins were amazing, but I wasn't absolutely crazy about the silicone muffin pan. It's ok, but the muffins did stick at the bottom just a little, which surprised me since the silicone cupcake liners are made from the same stuff, but those didn't stick at all. If I use this silicone muffin pan for baking again, I think I'll grease lightly and see if that makes any difference. The muffins weren't ruined, but they weren't quite perfect on the bottom. I had a little batter left so I filled a couple of the large and small individual silicone cupcake liners and baked at the same time as the silicone muffin pan, and the individual muffins came out so much better, didn't stick at all, so I know it wasn't me.
I liked the pan well enough and it definitely cleans up easier than a metal pan, so I'll still use it, but probably not as much as the individual liners. I can still use the silicone pan for other things, and I think my egg muffins will work well since they're a little greasier and literally slide out of the cupcake liners. Yes, that's what I'll do, I'll earmark that pan for my egg muffins, and use the liners for muffins and cupcakes. Problem solved!
Now will you look at these zucchini? My friend said he was bringing me two regular sized squash, and showed up with those, plus two huge ones. You can't really tell by the photo just how big these zucchini are, but the smaller one is still larger than a good sized cucumber, and the other two are immense. They could be used for baseball bats!
This shot with my hand should give you a better idea of the size of these monster zucchini.
I've decided that silicone kitchen wear is my new favorite thing, so whenever I see any at a discount or as a freebie, I snatch it up. I got this 12 cup silicone muffin pan at a discount in exchange for my honest and unbiased review, and was anxious to try it, and since a friend was bringing me some zucchini, the timing was perfect to try a batch of muffins today.
I've never made anything with zucchini before, or if I have, it's been so many years that I don't even remember, but I do love zucchini bread and muffins, so decided that would be on the list to make. I looked around for recipes and came across one for chocolate zucchini muffins that sounded really good, so that was first into the oven today.
 |
| Chocolate zucchini muffins ready for the oven © Marie Anne St. Jean |
I followed the recipe pretty closely, except I substituted applesauce for half of the oil, and I used cinnamon but not the other spices (I added more cinnamon than the recipe called for, but didn't really measure, just dumped it in).
They came out awesome! They're very moist, but held together well. There was just enough chocolate flavor in them to make them a sort of sweet treat, without being over the top like some specialty muffins you see in the bakery with all sorts of frosting and other toppings. I really shouldn't eat them at all (carbs!), but figured cheating with a chocolate zucchini muffin was better than cheating with a chocolate candy bar.
 |
| Chocolate zucchini muffins, hot from the oven © Marie Anne St. Jean |
So ... the muffins were amazing, but I wasn't absolutely crazy about the silicone muffin pan. It's ok, but the muffins did stick at the bottom just a little, which surprised me since the silicone cupcake liners are made from the same stuff, but those didn't stick at all. If I use this silicone muffin pan for baking again, I think I'll grease lightly and see if that makes any difference. The muffins weren't ruined, but they weren't quite perfect on the bottom. I had a little batter left so I filled a couple of the large and small individual silicone cupcake liners and baked at the same time as the silicone muffin pan, and the individual muffins came out so much better, didn't stick at all, so I know it wasn't me.
I liked the pan well enough and it definitely cleans up easier than a metal pan, so I'll still use it, but probably not as much as the individual liners. I can still use the silicone pan for other things, and I think my egg muffins will work well since they're a little greasier and literally slide out of the cupcake liners. Yes, that's what I'll do, I'll earmark that pan for my egg muffins, and use the liners for muffins and cupcakes. Problem solved!
Now will you look at these zucchini? My friend said he was bringing me two regular sized squash, and showed up with those, plus two huge ones. You can't really tell by the photo just how big these zucchini are, but the smaller one is still larger than a good sized cucumber, and the other two are immense. They could be used for baseball bats!
 |
| Zucchini overload © Marie Anne St. Jean |
This shot with my hand should give you a better idea of the size of these monster zucchini.
 |
| Monster zucchini! © Marie Anne St. Jean |
I see lots of zucchini bread and muffins in my future.
~ Marie Anne
1 comment:
Yummmmmm...Now if I could only reach thru my monitor and grab a muffin to go with this morning cup of coffee, I would be a very happy gal. ;) They look great!
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