I, unfortunately, have a Starbucks habit.
This is unfortunate for several reason: 1) It costs a lot. Seriously… it’s $4.00 for a small flavored latte. What?? 2) Frappaccinos are sooo delicious, but they have an entire meal’s worth of calories and fat. Whomp, whomp. 3) They have a display cabinet full of delicious and sinful goodies to go along with your over-priced espresso beverage, and I, for one, can’t resist. Oh boy, now I feel guilty and must go work out at the gym…
The whole reason I am divulging my little Starbucks habit with you is because of these lovelies. When I lived in California about 10 years ago, Starbucks used to carry these little Lemon Zucchini Muffins. Supposedly they were “low-fat”, although I’m not really sure what that means in the Starbucks world. Anyway, they were awesome. Loved them. I would stop by Starbucks on my way to work to pick one up for breakfast every now and then. They were so bright and fresh and sunny and moist and lemony with a zingy glaze. Like a “good morning!” for my tastebuds. And, of course, because they were “low-fat” I did not have to feel guilty. Even a little.
Then, I moved to Florida and never again saw these delicious little muffins. I’m not sure if they were a regional thing, or if Starbucks just phased them out. But, I have never forgotten them. I even thought they were better than Starbucks Lemon Loaf Cake. So, it has always been on my to-do list to try to recreate those muffins at home.
These muffins turned out surprisingly delicious and are very close to the Starbucks version, although with a slightly milder lemon flavor (I will probably try to adjust these to increase the lemony oomph in the future). They taste the same, but slightly more… homemade. Does that make sense? Maybe it’s the freshness, or the rich tang of the buttermilk, I’m not really sure, but it works.
So, any other Starbucks addicts out there? What is your favorite snack? Next up on my Starbucks recreation list is the Chocolate Salted Caramel Muffins. So sinfully good….
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ tsp salt
- 2½ tsp baking powder
- 1 cup shredded zucchini
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup canola oil
- ⅔ cup sugar
- ½ cup buttermilk
- 4 tbsp lemon juice, divided
- Zest from 1 lemon (about 2-3 tbsp)
- 1 cup confectioners sugar
- 1 tbsp milk
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 12-cup muffin tin with cooking spray, or place paper liners in each cup and set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine the flour, salt and baking powder. Stir until well combined; set aside.
- Line a small bowl with 2 layers of paper towels. Using a cheese grater, shred a medium-sized zucchini into the bowl. Fold the edges of the paper towel over the shredded zucchini and press down lightly. Set aside while you prepare the wet ingredients. (This step helps remove excess moisture from the zucchini)
- In a separate bowl, lightly beat the two eggs. Add the oil and sugar and mix well. Stir in the buttermilk, 2 tbsp lemon juice and lemon zest. Finally, measure out 1 cup of the shredded zucchini and stir into the batter until well combined.
- Mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, just until combined. Do not overmix. The batter will be slightly lumpy. Working quickly, divide the batter evenly into the 12 prepared muffin cups, about ¾ full.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 17-19 minutes, or until top springs back lightly when touched, or toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes in the pan, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.
- While the muffins are baking, prepare the glaze. In a small bowl, combine the remaining 2 tbsp lemon juice and the confectioners sugar. Stir until smooth. Stir in the milk, 1 teaspoon at a time, until you reach the desired consistency. Drizzle glaze over completely cooled muffins.
I love the little green flecks of zucchini in these sunny muffins, but if you prefer not to have green in your muffins, you can peel the zucchini prior to shredding.
Yes! I used to work at Starbucks in AZ and was super sad when they phased these out. My absolute favorite!
Yes… so sad they are gone. 🙁 Hope you like these just as well!
I can’t wait to try this recipe! I worked at Starbucks when we had these and they were my absolute favorite muffin! (Second was the low fat apricot blueberry!) I used to “accidentally” break one while setting up the pastry case in the morning just to snack on them. They remind me of the fun times we had at they first store. Was super bummed when they phased them out. I’ve been searching the web for a copy cat recipe and so far these look the closest too them so I’m definitely giving it a try soon! Thanks!
Oh, these are really good… I hope you like them. Let me know how they turn out if you end up making them!