Veggie muffins

Name: Veggie muffins
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 12 muffins
Ingredients: 1 medium zucchini (courgette); 1 medium carrot; 200 g (1⅔ cups) plain (all-purpose) wheat flour; 2 tsp baking powder; 2 eggs; 150 ml (⅔ cup) whole cow's milk; 60 ml (¼ cup) vegetable or olive oil; 40 g (scant ½ cup) finely grated mild cheddar

Savory muffins with soft-cooked zucchini, carrot and a little cheese, with no added sugar or salt. Contains egg, milk and wheat: offer them once your baby has had each of these on its own.

From: 6 months
Time: 45 min
Makes: 12 muffins

Contains eggContains milkContains wheat

Ingredients

1 mediumzucchini (courgette)about 150 g (5 oz)
1 mediumcarrotabout 100 g (3½ oz)
200 g (1⅔ cups)plain (all-purpose) wheat flour
2 tspbaking powder
2eggs
150 ml (⅔ cup)whole cow's milkfine in cooking from 6 months, but not as a main drink until 12 months; breast milk or formula also work (see the US and UK note)
60 ml (¼ cup)vegetable or olive oilplus 1 tsp for the vegetables and a little for the tin
40 g (scant ½ cup)finely grated mild cheddarpasteurized and full-fat; compare labels and choose a lower-salt one

Steps

1Wash your hands. Heat the oven to 180°C (350°F), or 160°C fan, and lightly oil a 12-hole muffin tin. Scrub the carrot under running water and peel it. Rinse the zucchini and trim both ends.
2Finely grate the carrot and zucchini. Cook them in 1 tsp of oil over medium-low heat for about 5 to 8 minutes, stirring, until soft and most of the liquid has gone. Let them cool for 10 minutes.
3Mix the flour and baking powder in a large bowl. In a jug, whisk the eggs, milk and oil. Pour the wet mixture into the flour, add the vegetables and cheese, and stir until just combined. Don't add sugar or salt.
4Don't taste the raw batter: raw flour and raw egg can carry germs. Wash your hands after handling them. Spoon the batter into the tin, filling each hole about three-quarters full.
5Bake for about 20 to 25 minutes, until risen and golden and a skewer pushed into the middle comes out clean, with no wet batter. If you use a food thermometer, the center should reach 160°F (71°C).
6Let them cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then on a rack. Break one open and squash the middle between your thumb and finger: it should be soft. Trim off any crisp edges, and check they're only just warm before serving.

How to serve it by age

6 months+

Once your baby has had egg, dairy and wheat each on their own without a reaction, cut a muffin into strips about the size of an adult finger, roughly 6–8 cm long and 2 cm wide (2½–3 × ¾ in). Each strip should squash easily between your thumb and finger.

9 months+

Cut muffins into pieces no bigger than about 1 cm (just under ½ inch) for pincer-grasp practice, or keep offering soft strips to bite.

12 months+

Serve halves to hold and bite, or bite-sized pieces about 1 cm (just under ½ inch), with soft fruit for breakfast or alongside soup at lunch.

Where US and UK guidance differ on this recipe

United States(AAP and CDC)Your setting

The CDC says not to give cow's milk before 12 months. If you follow US advice, use breast milk or formula instead.

United Kingdom(NHS)Your setting

The NHS says cows' milk can be used in cooking or mixed with food from around 6 months, but shouldn't be given as a main drink until 1 year.

We cover US and UK guidance in detail. Elsewhere, check your national health service's advice too.

If your baby reacts

This recipe contains egg, milk, wheat. Introduce one new allergen at a time, mixed into a food your baby already eats, before serving it in a dish with other new foods. Contact your pediatrician, GP or health visitor if you notice mild signs after eating, such as a few hives or a little vomiting. See signs of a reaction.

Call 911999your local emergency number (such as 112 in Europe or 000 in Australia) now if your baby has trouble breathing, wheezing, can't cough or cry, has lips, mouth, tongue or throat that suddenly swell, or becomes pale, bluish, floppy or unresponsive. Also call if hives come with repeated vomiting.

Leftovers and the rest of the family

Storing it

Cool leftover muffins completely and keep them in a covered container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days, or freeze them for 2 to 3 months (freeze them in a single layer, then pack them together once frozen solid). Reheat from frozen or thawed, only once, until steaming hot, 165°F (74°C), then let them cool before serving. Throw away anything left in your baby's bowl. Don't leave muffins at room temperature for more than 2 hours, or 1 hour if it's hotter than 90°F (32°C).

For the grown-ups

Spoon your baby's muffins into the tin first, then stir a pinch of salt, black pepper or chili flakes into the rest of the batter for the adults. Older children like them in a lunchbox with fruit.