These hidden veggie muffins not only satisfy young taste buds but also conceal a nutritious surprise within each bite. Both of my toddlers hate anything green so my creativity becomes essential. These muffins neither look nor taste like vegetables, making them an excellent stealthy addition to my kids’ diet.

What are hidden veggie muffins?

Hidden veggie muffins are like my sneaky little kitchen superheroes. They’re this awesome way to slide in some nutritious veggies without anyone even realizing it. Picture this – classic, delicious muffins that look and taste just like the ones your kids love, but with a secret health upgrade. I’m talking about finely grated or pureed veggies, like carrots, zucchini, or spinach, mixed right in. It’s perfect for those of us, especially the kiddos, who aren’t too keen on the whole veggie scene. These muffins keep the taste intact while adding that extra nutritional kick.

Why your picky eater will love these carrot zucchini banana muffins?

These carrot zucchini banana muffins are a game-changer for my picky eaters, and here’s why they’ll become an instant favorite for yours too.

First off, the natural sweetness from ripe bananas and the subtle touch of apple not only make these muffins delicious but also sneak in a hint of healthiness. The sweetness is just right, striking a perfect balance that even the fussiest eaters won’t be able to resist.

Plus, the size of these muffins is spot-on for easy munching, making them a hassle-free snack for your little ones. Beyond that, the moist texture of these muffins takes them to a whole new level of yumminess. The combination of carrots and zucchini not only adds nutritional value but also contributes to the irresistible moistness that makes every bite a delightful experience. Get ready to win over those picky taste buds with these perfectly sized, sweet, and moist muffins!

Hidden veggie muffins recipe

Ingredients

Dry ingredients

• 1/2 cup wheat flour
• 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• Dash of nutmeg
• 1/4 cup sugar

Wet ingredients

• 2 tablespoons melted butter
• 1 large egg
• 1/4 cup plain greek yogurt
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Vegetables

• 1/4 cups steamed broccoli florets
• 1/5 shredded zucchini
• 1 small carrot, shredded

Fruit

• 1/4 apple, diced
• 1/2 medium banana

Instructions

• 1. Preheat oven to 375° F
• 2. Mix flours, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon

• 3. In another bowl, mix sugar, butter, egg, vanilla and greek yogurt

• 4. Blend broccoli, zucchini, carrots, banana, apple.

• 5. Combine the fruit and veggie puree into the wet ingredient mixture
• 6. Add the dry ingredients and mix well
• 7. Scoop the mixture into a greased muffin pan

• 8. Bake at 375° F for 15-20 minutes
• 9. Remove from the muffin tray and serve once cooled
• 10. Store in an air-tight container for up to 3 days at room temperature or 7 days in the fridge.

Options for modifying this recipe

Options are endless when modifying this recipe. You can opt to use either wheat or all-purpose flour. I like to blend whole wheat flour with all-purpose flour in my baked goods because it will lighten the finished product while adding the nutritional benefits of whole wheat.

For a quick and time-saving option, consider replacing the vegetables and fruits in the recipe with ready-to-use baby food. This alternative eliminates the need for ingredient preparation and blending, making it a convenient choice when time is of the essence.

I’ve also had success adding chocolate chips and dried blueberries to these muffins. You can also add chopped nuts like almonds, walnuts, and pistachios.

Hidden veggie mini muffins

Print

Serves: 24 Prep Time: 15 minutes Cooking Time: 20 minutes 20 minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Rating: 4.0/5

( 8 voted )

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup wheat flour
• 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• Dash of nutmeg
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoon melted butter
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup steamed broccoli florets
• 1/5 shredded zucchini
• 1 small carrot, shredded
• 1/4 apple, diced
• 1/2 medium banana
• 1/4 cup plain greek yogurt

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375° F
2. Mix flours, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon
3. In another bowl, mix sugar, butter, egg, vanilla and greek yogurt
4. Blend broccoli, zucchini, carrots, banana, apple
5. Combine the fruit and veggie puree into he wet ingredient mixture
6. Add the dry ingredients and mix well
7. Scoop the mixture into a muffin pan
8. Bake at 375° F for 15-20 minutes
9.  Remove from muffin tray and serve once cooled

Notes

Store in an air-tight container for up to 3 days at room temperature or 7 days in the fridge. For a quick and time-saving option, you can replace the vegetables and fruits in the recipe with ready-to-use baby food. I've also had success adding chocolate chips and dried blueberries to these muffins. You can also add chopped nuts like almonds, walnuts, and pistachios.

Hidden veggie muffins related posts

• Oatmeal Spinach Waffles For Baby + Toddlers
• Kid-friendly pasta salad without mayo
• Easy egg muffins for kids

The post Hidden veggie muffins even the pickiest eaters will love appeared first on SoCal Mommy Life.

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What is custard pudding?

Custard or pudding? Which one is it?

Custard pudding, also known as egg pudding, is a popular Asian dessert. In Japanese, it’s called Purin (プリン). In Chinese, it’s 布丁.

Custard pudding is similar to custard in which they are both made by blending egg and milk. Similar to custard, custard pudding is also served with soft caramel topping.

Unlike custard, custard pudding is lighter and airy in texture. It is usually less sweet and has a less lavish flavor than custard.

Due to its high nutritional value, custard pudding is a stable in kids-friendly recipes. This was also one of the “safe-foods” I ate frequently when I was having morning sickness from being pregnant.

Caramel custard pudding is:

• similar to custard
• served over soft caramel topping
• light and airy
• less sweet than custard
• served chilled
• kid and baby-friendly due to its high nutritional value

Here’s how to make caramel custard (without oven)

Ingredients

Caramel sauce

• 60g sugar (4.80 tablespoons)
• 30ml water (2 tablespoon)
• 30ml hot water (2 tablespoons)

Custard pudding

• 3 eggs
• 90g sugar (0.5 cups)
• 400ml milk (1.7 cups)

NOTE: if you don’t have a scale, I highly recommend you invest in one. Scales are inexpensive, make cooking neater and is far more accurate than measuring cups. Here is the one I use and highly recommend!

How to make the caramel sauce

1. Add the sugar and 30ml room temperature water to a small pan. Cook under low heat. DO NOT STIR! Just let the sugar melt to amber or light brown color, about 4 minutes.
2. Immediately remove from heat. Note: Do not overcook. The caramel will taste bitter if it is overcooked!

3. Slowly add the 30ml hot water (I just microwave the water in a cup?). Be careful when adding hot water. The caramel will splatter!

4. Slowly pour the caramel into desired containers.

How to make the custard pudding

5. Warm the milk in the microwave or on the stovetop. Let chill a bit.

6. Beat the eggs, about 3 minutes, and then add the sugar. Continue beating for another minute.

7. Continue mixing and add the warm milk slowly into the egg mixture. Make sure that the milk is not burning hot or else it will solidify the egg mixture!

NOTE: To make things easier, I had my KitchenAid Mixer on at level 4 at all times!

8. Sieve the egg mixture with a fine-mesh strainer. To make extra smooth custard pudding, you can sieve the egg mixture twice!

9. Slowly pour the egg mixture into the container and be careful to not disturb the caramel that’s already on the bottom of the container.

How to set the custard pudding

What’s unique about custard pudding is that it is set with a technique call bain marie, or the fancy word for hot water bath. This setting method evenly distributes heat around the custard, ensuring that the eggs don’t curdle. And this is what makes the custard pudding so smooth and airy.

Here, I set the custard pudding in my multi–functional rice cooker. Add a cup of room temperature water to the rice cooker. Insert the steaming rack and place the custard pudding on top of the rack.

Place a chopstick between the lid and the cooker to create a gap. This is to prevent air bubbles from forming in the custard pudding.

You can also create a water bath using a big deep pan such as a wok. As for the steaming rack, it can be replaced by placing a small bowl upside down in the middle of the pan /wok. Add a plate on top of the bowl to house the custard pudding. Don’t forget to place a chopstick or spatula between the lid and the pan/wok to create a cap!

Steam for about 20 minutes. Gently tap the jars to see if the custard pudding has solidified.

Transfer the set custard pudding to the refrigerator and chill for 3-5 hours before serving.

How to serve custard pudding

Custard pudding is always served chilled so there is no need to heat it up before serving.

The custard pudding is delicious by itself, but serving it with the caramel topping brings this dessert to a whole new level. Since I have my custard pudding in individualized jars, I always make sure my spoon dips to the bottom of the jar to get some of the caramel with the custard.

If your containers have lids, you can seal them to extend their life in the fridge. I usually make a batch of 10 and they are still tasty after 7 days in the fridge.

Frequently asked questions (FAQ)

Q: How to prevent hardening of the caramel sauce?

A: Adding the hot water in the last step of making the caramel is crucial. It will prevent the caramel from becoming too hard and sticky.

Q: Can I make this custard pudding in the oven if I don’t have a suitable pan for setting the pudding?

A: Yes, you may place the custard pudding in a deep baking pan. Add room-temperature water to the baking pan to create a water bath. The water should be no more than 1/2″ from the bottom of the custard pudding. Since there is no release of air, the custard pudding will have more holes and less airy than sitting in a water bath.

Q: I can’t get the caramel sauce to harden.

A: Did you add too much water when making the caramel? Make sure that the ratio of 60g sugar/15ml water is maintained. It seems that the water is very little when you add it to the sugar, but as the sugar melts it will create the caramel consistency you want.

Q: Can I substitute the whole milk with plant-based milk (almond/coconut/rice/oat)?

A: Plant-based milk works fine, though one thing to keep in mind is that they have very low fat content, so they won’t offer the same richness as whole or 2% in this recipe. Coconut milk has similar fat content to milk, but since it has a strong flavor using it in this recipe will make the custard pudding taste like coconut.

Q: Where do you get the glass jars featured here?

A: These jars are actually recycled from my favorite yogurt – OUI French Yogurt! They even sell reusable lids to go along with the versatile glass jars.

No-bake caramel custard recipe

Print

Serves: 5 Prep Time: 15 min Cooking Time: 20 min 20 min

Nutrition facts: 170 calories 4.3 grams fat

Rating: 5.0/5

( 2 voted )

Ingredients

• Caramel sauce
• 60g sugar (4.80 tablespoons)
• 30ml water (1 tablespoon)
• 30ml hot water (2 tablespoons)
• Custard pudding
• 3 eggs
• 90g sugar (0.5 cups)
• 400ml milk (1.7 cups)

Instructions

How to make the caramel sauce

1. Add the sugar and 30ml room temperature water to a small pan. Cook under low heat. DO NOT STIR! Just let the sugar melt to amber or light brown color, about 4 minutes.
2. Immediately remove from heat. Note: Do not overcook. The caramel will taste bitter if it is overcooked!
3. Slowly add the 30ml hot water (I just microwave the water in a cup?). Be careful when adding the hot water. The caramel will splatter!
4. Slowly pour the caramel into desired containers.

How to make the custard pudding

1. Warm the milk in the microwave or on the stovetop. Let chill a bit.
2. Beat the eggs, about 3 minutes, and then add the sugar. Continue beating for another minute.
3. Continue mixing and add the warm milk slowly into the egg mixture. Make sure that the milk is not burning hot or else it will solidify the egg mixture!
4. Sieve the egg mixture with a fine-mesh strainer. To make extra smooth custard pudding, you can sieve the egg mixture twice!
5. Slowly pour the egg mixture to the container and be careful to not disturb the caramel that’s already on the bottom of the container.

How to set the custard pudding

On a multi-functional rice cooker:

1. Add a cup of water and place the custard pudding in the steaming rack
2. Place a chopstick between the lid and the cooker to create a gap. This is to prevent air bubbles from forming in the custard pudding.
3. Cook for 20 minutes.

On a pan or wok:

1. Add a cup of water and place the steaming rack in the wok. Place custard pudding on top of the rack.
2. Place a chopstick or spatular between the lid and the wok.
3. Cook for 20 minutes.

Transfer the set custard pudding to the refrigerator and chill for 3-5 hours before serving.

Seal with lid or plastic wrap and consume within 7 days.

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The post The Best Caramel Custard Pudding Recipe Without Oven appeared first on SoCal Mommy Life.