Summer is almost over.

Therefore I am almost sad.

But not quite.

Because pumpkin flavored everything is something worth looking forward to.

Creamy, savory pumpkin soup!

Pumpkin stuffed quesadillas with black beans, caramelized onions and melty Jack cheese!!

Pumpkin pie topped with the biggest plop of homemade whipped cream!!!

Moist pumpkin bars slathered with sweet, tangy cream cheese frosting!!!!

And have you ever tried pasta covered in the most amazing pumpkin Parmesan sauce?!

Okay, enough with the exclamation marks.

I am still trying to crank out summery recipes while I can, don’t get me wrong.

That means buying all the juicy, sweet orange tomatoes from the grocery store.

And making scrumptious zucchini muffins.

(My favorite form of zucchini, by the way.)

I thought I loved zucchini muffins, until I tried baking up some zucchini muffins packed with spices and crunchy, nutty walnuts…

Wow.

Just wow.

Regular zucchini muffins are no longer an option, that’s all I’m sayin.

Cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves spice up these muffins, and the walnuts add a nice crunch, plus more protein!

P.S. You must eat these warm. Because warm muffins are the best! The flavors are so much more pronounced. (They are still very good the next day though.)

P.P.S. Grease your pan well. No one wants to deal with stubborn muffins.

P.P.P.S. If you want to get all healthy, use half whole wheat flour and half all-purpose flour. (There is still sugar and oil involved, so “semi-healthy” is probably a bit more accurate.)