spinach cake muffins spinach cake muffins
I get inspired (and thrilled) when weelicious moms send me their ideas for new recipes. Last year, a reader sent me a recipe she had seen for muffins made with spinach and applesauce combined with a boxed cake mix that she wanted to make healthier. Although a spinach muffin seemed out there, I was won over by this mom’s enthusiasm.
After a bunch of trial and error, I came up with a shockingly delicious muffin. They had just the perfect amount of sweetness and an appealing bright green color. Chloe joined me in making a batch and she got so into it I caught her eating spinach leaves directly out of the measuring cup (who says kids don’t like their greens?).
Thank you to the weelicious mom who inspired this recipe (you know who you are!).
Cooking spray (optional)
½ cup unsweetened applesauce
1 large egg
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 cup packed fresh spinach leaves
⅓ cup sugar
2 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil
1½ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and use paper liners or grease a 24-cup mini muffin pan.
2. Place the applesauce, egg, vanilla, spinach, sugar, and oil in a food processor and puree until smooth.
3. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
4. Pour the spinach puree into the flour mixture and stir until combined. Scoop the batter into the mini muffin pan, filling each cup ⅔ full.
5. Bake for 12 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
6. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
STEPHANIE: I’ve made your Spinach Cake Muffins and my kids LOVE them! Green is my son’s favorite color and we all love how vibrant the spinach makes these muffins. Both of my boys will eat 4+ of these for breakfast and then come home from school asking if they can have them for snack! Best part is that they know there is spinach in them, yet still devour them.
TERRI: I sent out your spinach muffins recipe to a couple of friends that I thought would be interested. My alley neighbor, Melissa, made them and then shared the recipe with her sons’ daycare/preschool class at Children’s Hospital (she is a doc there). They read a story about a kid not wanting to eat spinach, then gave the kids the spinach muffins, which they ate. The kids couldn’t believe it was spinach. It is now going to be incorporated in their curriculum there!