Zucchini Muffins

My in-laws had some extra zucchini from their garden and we were lucky enough to have some sent home with us after visiting last weekend. I immediately knew I wanted to try and make some zucchini bread. Since I don't have a loaf pan, and because I love muffins and cupcakes, I decided to make Zucchini muffins. This recipe comes from allrecipes.com, and I tweaked it a little by following some of the reviewers' suggestions.

Zucchini Muffins

Ingredients
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 teaspoons cinnamon (I used 2 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp nutmeg)
3 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil (I used 1/2 cup applesauce, 1/2 cup oil)
2 1/4 cups sugar (I used 1 cup)
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups grated zucchini (I used 3 cups)
1 cup chopped walnuts
I also added 1/2 cup chocolate chips to half of the batter

Directions
Sift flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder and cinnamon together in a bowl.

Beat eggs, oil, (applesauce,) vanilla and sugar in a large bowl. Slowly add the sifted ingredients and beat well. Stir in zucchini and nuts until combined.

Pour batter into two greased 8x4 inch pans and bake at 325º for 40-60 minutes, or until tester comes out clean. (I used lined muffin pans and cooked at 325º for 20 minutes.)

Amanda's Analysis:
These muffins were delicious! I liked the addition of chocolate chips to add some sweetness. Next time I don't think I will add the nutmeg and will use 3 teaspoons of cinnamon. The nutmeg was too much spice for my taste, but the muffins could have used a little more cinnamon. I liked using applesauce in place of oil in order to help make them a little more healthy. I also think if I were to make these again without the chocolate chips I would increase the sugar slightly. Without the chocolate they were a little bland, but the chocolate added the perfect amount of sweetness. I give these muffins 6 spoons.

John's Jibba-Jabba:
The muffins tasted good but not great. They just did not come together and felt out of balance. I love nutmeg but I think there was too much in there and not enough cinnamon. They were also a little heavier than normal muffins which could be off-putting for some. It would be interesting to try them with more applesauce and less oil. I have a feeling they would be more moist and a tab bit heavier. All in all not a bad version of zucchini bread that could use just a few more tweaks. They get 4 spoons.