Fine. I’ve succumbed to the pumpkin. I don’t usually cook with pumpkins; I carve them. In fact, I once carved a jack-o-lantern and then stuck a plastic knife in its side and splattered it with fake blood. I loved that thing; the neighbors did not. We’ll see what I come up with this year, but I can’t guarantee that it’ll overshadow the demented mind of a 16 year old. In the meantime, let’s talk about my evil plan to infuse perfectly delicious pumpkin bread with zucchini in the hopes of making it even more delicious.

After sourcing pumpkin bread recipes on Twitter, I decided to use the recipe fromThree Many Cooks as my base with a few adaptations. Let’s just say that freshly ground nutmeg is a must, and I’m so glad I decided to add some freshly ground ginger. These muffins were amazing; my brother keeps raving about them. They’re insanely moist, and the combination of fresh spices kicks them up a notch. I hear the original is phenomenal as well (which is why I used it, duh).

Now for a story. I required a few things from the store to conquer both these muffins and the pumpkin ice cream my brother requested. Ever the lazy one, I tricked my brother into picking up some heavy cream and pumpkin puree (with a note to avoid pumpkinpie filling). The thing is, he wasn’t moving at a speed of my liking, so every single time I passed his door this morning I told him to go to the store in a creepy voice. He’s my older brother, I’m allowed. Anyway, after calling me from the store because he couldn’t figure out that the Pura Calabaza under Pure Pumpkin was, in fact, just the label reiterating the can’s contents in Spanish, he returned home with my goods. And a can of whipped cream. On purpose.

He desecrated my muffins.* And didn’t even stop to consider that I could have made whipped cream from scratch with the extra whipping cream he brought me.Brothers.

*I’m pretty positive the whipped cream was intended for the pumpkin ice cream,not the muffins. I reiterate, brothers. Edit: He also just told me that I can still make whipped cream so he can do a taste test.

Pumpkin Zucchini Muffins

Makes 15 muffins

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. salt
1.5 tsp. freshly ground nutmeg
1.5 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. freshly ground ginger
1 stick softened butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 large eggs, beaten
8 oz. pure pumpkin puree
1 cup grated zucchini, drained
1/3 cup water
3/4 cup chopped walnuts

1. Grease your muffin tins and preheat oven to 350F.

2. Mix together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and spices in a bowl. Set aside.

3. Take your grated zucchini and put in a fine mesh sieve. Push into mesh and try to squeeze out as much water as possible.