Early Birds on Cedar Road

If you didn't know already - we are early morning people.  We wake up early, go to school early, go to work early, go to bed early.  So guess what happens on the weekends?  We sleep in!  Oh, wait, no, I don't get to sleep in.  I'm generally woken up by at least one of my sweet children who's internal clock I've clearly helped form.  Dang those early weekday mornings.
One such early Sunday, Nicholas decided it was wake up time before 6 AM... Oh yes, my weekend productivity before 7 AM on the weekend is amazing.  Anyway - Sunday morning - Nicholas - we picked a bunch of raspberries - then decided we should make our family muffins for breakfast!  So together we shredded the zucchini and apple, he did almost all the stirring, put all the paper liners in the pan - important jobs for a four-year-old.
He watched them bake through the very dirty glass door and was very proud of his heart work!  By the time the baking began, Bronwyn was awake and we were making raspberry jam too!  Soon baking the chicken for meal prep and chicken meal balls for another meal.  Did I tell you about our productivity?
The only change to this muffins I'd make would be spraying the tin and baking directly in the tin - these stuck to the paper like crazy.  Probably not enough fat in them, but they were tender and delicious.  Very appley and delicious.  It's a great way to use some of our zucchini that is now flourishing in the garden.
I anticipate many more early morning productivity sessions with these imps - but I'm not sad about it.  Love these kids and how they love to help in the kitchen.

Apple Zucchini Muffins
2 1/4 cups flour
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 tablespoon oil melted coconut oil, canola oil, or vegetable oil
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup grated apple I use Granny Smith
1/2 cup grated zucchini moisture slightly squeezed out
1 cup chopped peeled apple

For the Topping:
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Instructions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a muffin pan with paper liners or spray with cooking spray. Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, brown sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and all-spice. In a small bowl, whisk together buttermilk, applesauce, oil, egg, and vanilla extract. Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients and mix with a wooden spoon or spatula until just combined. Do not over mix. Gently stir in the grated apple, zucchini, and chopped apples.
To make the topping, combine turbinado sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Stir well.
Fill the prepared muffin pan with muffin batter, filling each cup about 3/4 the way full. Sprinkle each muffin with cinnamon sugar topping. Bake for 20 minutes, or until muffins are golden and a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Let muffins cool to room temperature and serve.
Note-these muffins freeze well.