Zucchini Golden Raisin Muffin

Preheat your oven to 190°C (375°F) with a rack positioned in the middle of the oven. Line a 12-cup standard muffin tin with paper baking liners, or lightly coat each cup with melted butter or non-stick spray to prevent muffins from sticking during baking.

Wash 2 medium zucchini, trim the woody stem ends, and grate on the large holes of a box grater to yield exactly 220g of shredded zucchini. Place the shredded zucchini in the center of a clean cotton kitchen towel, wrap tightly, and squeeze firmly over the sink to remove 60-80ml of excess moisture (this prevents soggy muffins). Toss the squeezed, dry zucchini shreds with 100g golden raisins in a small bowl and set aside.

In a large 3L mixing bowl, whisk together 240g spooned-and-leveled all-purpose flour, 100g granulated white sugar, 50g packed light brown sugar, 4g (1 tsp) baking powder, 2.5g (1/2 tsp) baking soda, 2g (1 tsp) ground cinnamon, and 3g (1/2 tsp) fine sea salt. Whisk for 30 seconds until the mixture is fully uniform, breaking up any small clumps of brown sugar with the whisk tines.

In a separate medium 1.5L mixing bowl, whisk 2 room-temperature large eggs until the yolks and whites are fully combined (about 20 seconds of whisking). Add 85g slightly cooled melted unsalted butter, 80ml room-temperature whole milk, and 5ml (1 tsp) pure vanilla extract, then whisk for another 20 seconds until the mixture is smooth and pale yellow, with no streaks of unincorporated egg.

Pour the entire wet ingredient mixture into the large bowl of dry ingredients. Use a flexible rubber spatula to fold the ingredients together just until 80% of the dry flour is incorporated (a few visible dry streaks are normal). Add the reserved squeezed zucchini and golden raisins, then continue folding gently for 10-12 strokes only, just until no dry flour remains. Do not overmix, as this will create tough, dense muffins.

Use a 45ml (3-tablespoon) spring-loaded cookie scoop to divide the batter evenly between the 12 prepared muffin cups, filling each cup to 2/3 of its total capacity (do not overfill, as muffins will rise during baking). Place the tin in the preheated oven and bake for 20-22 minutes, until the muffin tops are domed and golden brown, and a wooden toothpick inserted into the center of a middle muffin comes out with 1-2 small moist crumbs attached (no runny wet batter).

Once fully baked, transfer the muffin tin to a wire cooling rack and let the muffins rest in the tin for 5 minutes to set (this prevents them from breaking apart when removed). After 5 minutes, lift each muffin out of the tin and place directly on the wire rack to cool for an additional 10 minutes before serving.