Makes: 12 muffins
Bake: 18–22 minutes at 350°F / 175°C

Ingredients

  • 1 cup grated zucchini, squeezed fairly dry
  • 1 cup finely grated carrot
  • 1¾ cups all-purpose flour
  • ½ cup brown sugar
  • ¼ cup granulated sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • ½ cup neutral oil or melted butter
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • ½ tsp ground ginger
  • ¼ tsp nutmeg
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • ½ tsp baking soda
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • ½ cup chopped walnuts or pecans
  • ⅓ cup raisins, optional

Cream-cheese topping

  • 4 oz (115 g) cream cheese, softened
  • 2 tbsp butter, softened
  • ¾ cup powdered sugar
  • ½ tsp vanilla
  • 1–2 tbsp milk, as needed — Detailed Directions
    Preheat the oven.
    Set your oven to 350°F (175°C). Let it fully preheat while you prepare the batter. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners. If you don’t have liners, lightly grease each muffin cup with butter or cooking spray.
    Prepare the zucchini.
    Wash the zucchini and trim off the ends. Grate it using the large holes of a box grater. You should have about 1¼ cups grated zucchini before squeezing. Place the grated zucchini in a clean kitchen towel or several layers of paper towel and gently squeeze out some of the liquid.
    You don’t want it completely dry—the zucchini should still feel moist. Removing some of the excess water prevents the muffins from becoming soggy while still keeping them wonderfully moist.
    Prepare the carrots.
    Peel the carrots and grate them finely. Measure out 1 cup of grated carrot. Finely grated carrot blends into the batter better and gives the muffins that soft, carrot-cake texture.
    Prepare the nuts and optional raisins.
    Roughly chop ½ cup walnuts or pecans into small pieces. If using raisins, measure out ⅓ cup. For especially soft raisins, you can soak them in warm water for about 5 minutes, then drain and pat them dry before adding them to the batter.
    Mix the eggs and sugar.
    In a large mixing bowl, crack in 2 eggs. Add ½ cup brown sugar and ¼ cup granulated sugar. Whisk for about 1–2 minutes until the mixture becomes smooth and slightly lighter in color.
    Add the oil and vanilla.
    Slowly whisk in ½ cup neutral oil such as vegetable, canola, or avocado oil. Add 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and mix until everything is evenly combined. The oil helps keep these muffins soft and moist for several days.
    Add the vegetables.
    Add your prepared grated carrot and zucchini to the wet mixture. Stir gently with a spatula or wooden spoon until the vegetables are evenly distributed throughout the mixture.
    Mix the dry ingredients separately.
    In a second bowl, combine:
    1¾ cups all-purpose flour
    1 teaspoon cinnamon
    ½ teaspoon ground ginger
    ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
    1 teaspoon baking powder
    ½ teaspoon baking soda
    ¼ teaspoon salt
    Whisk the dry ingredients together thoroughly. This helps distribute the baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices evenly so you don’t get pockets of baking soda or overly spicy areas in the muffins.
    Combine the wet and dry ingredients.
    Gradually add the dry ingredients to the bowl containing the wet ingredients. Use a spatula or wooden spoon to fold everything together.
    Do not overmix. Stop as soon as you can no longer see large streaks of dry flour. A few tiny lumps are perfectly fine. Overmixing develops the gluten in the flour and can make your muffins dense and chewy instead of tender.
    Fold in the nuts and raisins.
    Add the chopped walnuts or pecans and raisins, if using. Gently fold them through the batter until they’re evenly distributed.
    Check the batter consistency.
    The finished batter should be thick, moist, and scoopable. It shouldn’t be runny like pancake batter. If your zucchini was particularly wet and the batter seems unusually loose, let it sit for 2–3 minutes; the flour will absorb some of the moisture.
    Fill the muffin cups.
    Divide the batter evenly between the 12 muffin liners. Fill each one approximately ¾ full. For taller bakery-style muffins, you can fill them slightly higher, but don’t fill them completely to the top because they’ll rise considerably in the oven.
    Bake the muffins.
    Place the muffin pan on the middle rack of the preheated oven. Bake for approximately 18–22 minutes.
    Try not to open the oven during the first 15 minutes because a sudden drop in temperature can cause the muffins to sink.
    Check for doneness.
    Insert a toothpick into the center of one muffin. It should come out clean or with a few moist crumbs attached. If there is wet batter on the toothpick, bake for another 2–3 minutes and check again.
    Let the muffins cool in the pan.
    Remove the pan from the oven and allow the muffins to cool for about 5–10 minutes. Then carefully transfer them to a wire rack.
    Don’t frost them while they’re hot. The cream-cheese frosting will melt and slide off.

    🧁 Cream Cheese Frosting
    Soften the cream cheese and butter.
    Make sure 4 oz cream cheese and 2 tablespoons butter are softened to room temperature. This makes the frosting much smoother and prevents lumps.
    Beat the cream cheese and butter.
    Place both in a bowl and beat with an electric mixer for about 2 minutes, until completely smooth and creamy.
    Add the powdered sugar.
    Gradually add ¾ cup powdered sugar, about ¼ cup at a time. Beat on low speed initially so the powdered sugar doesn’t fly everywhere, then increase the speed and beat until smooth.
    Add vanilla.
    Mix in ½ teaspoon vanilla extract. If the frosting is too thick to spread, add 1 teaspoon milk at a time until you reach the consistency you want.
    Cool the frosting if necessary.
    If the frosting feels too soft, place it in the refrigerator for 15–20 minutes. A slightly chilled frosting will sit nicely on top of the muffins instead of sliding down the sides.
    Frost the completely cooled muffins.
    Once the muffins are completely cool, spread a generous spoonful of cream-cheese frosting on top of each one. For the appearance in your photo, make the frosting slightly uneven and rustic rather than perfectly smooth.
    Add toppings.
    Sprinkle chopped walnuts or pecans over the frosting. You can also add a tiny pinch of cinnamon or some finely grated carrot for decoration.
    For the pictured look:
    If you want them to look extra decadent like the muffin in your photo, add a thicker layer of cream-cheese frosting and sprinkle chopped nuts over it. You can also drizzle a little extra frosting over the top for that bakery-style finish.
    ⭐ Important tips for the best muffins
    Don’t overmix the batter. This is one of the biggest secrets to soft muffins.
    Squeeze excess liquid from the zucchini, but don’t dry it completely.
    Use finely grated carrots for a softer texture.
    Let the muffins cool completely before frosting.
    For stronger carrot-cake flavor, add ½ teaspoon extra cinnamon and a tiny pinch of cloves.
    Toasting the walnuts or pecans for 5–7 minutes at 350°F before adding them makes the flavor much richer.
    Store frosted muffins in the refrigerator because of the cream cheese frosting. Let them sit at room temperature for about 15 minutes before eating for the best texture.