I love all things carrot cake. Cupcakes, pancakes, muffins and yes, the glorious cake itself. Oink’s, a local ice cream shop in nearby New Buffalo, MI, even makes a carrot cake ice cream. To. Die. For.
Three years ago, I made some carrot cake cupcakes with homemade cream cheese frosting for our family’s Easter gathering. I even planned on decorating them with little piped carrots made from the same icing dyed orange. A few (um…okay, many) glasses of wine later, and this is how they turned out…
To this day, my husband will not let me live that one down. And if you know me, you know it gets under my skin every time.
Anytime of year, this would be my choice of cupcake, cake, you name it. Chock full of carrots, it’s perfect in springtime for an Easter brunch, yet the spicy cake makes it just as wonderful in the fall as well.
Luckily, these little muffins are just as delicious and much easier to make than those Easter cupcakes. And if you wanted to “frost” them with yummy maple cream cheese and call it dessert, I don’t think anyone would complain.
½ muffin, ½ maple cream cheese seems like a good ratio, yes?
Three more reasons why I love these little muffins:
- They’re egg-free, which is awesome because my little one has an egg allergy
- They’re chock full of carrots (1 ½ cups!) and low in sugar, making them a great breakfast or snack for little ones and adults alike.
- They’re easy to freeze so I have them handy for a quick breakfast for Miss Em. Just pull out however many you need and thaw on the counter or in the microwave.
Little Hands Can…
- Help measure both wet and dry ingredients
- Whisk ingredients together
- Measure out raisins
- Older kids can grate carrots
- Mix cream cheese and maple syrup
- Line muffin cups with liners (if using)
- Scoop batter into muffin pan
- 1 cup milk (any kind: cow, almond, soy, etc.)
- 1½ teaspoons apple cider vinegar
- 1¼ cups whole wheat flour*
- 1 cup spelt flour (or all-purpose flour)*
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1½ teaspoons cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ginger
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon cloves
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅓ cup pure maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted (or vegetable oil)
- ⅓ cup applesauce
- 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1½ cups grated carrots
- ¾ cup raisins
- 4 ounces cream cheese (dairy or dairy-free)
- 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- In a glass measuring cup or small bowl, whisk together the milk and apple cider vinegar. Set aside and let it sit for about 10 minutes to curdle while you assemble the rest of the ingredients.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flours, baking powder, baking soda, spices and salt.
- In a second bowl, mix together the maple syrup, oil, applesauce and vanilla. Add in the milk/vinegar mixture that you prepared earlier. Whisk until combined.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until just incorporated. Do not over mix.
- Gently fold in the carrots and raisins.
- Line a muffin pan with cupcake liners or spray with cooking spray. Fill each cup ¾ full.
- For mini-muffins (which I almost always make), bake for 11-12 minutes, or until the tops of the muffin spring back slightly when touched.
- For regular sized muffins, bake for 16-18 minutes, or until the muffins pass the touch test.
- Cool for 10 minutes in the pan and then cool completely on a wire rack.
- For the maple cream cheese, mix the cream cheese and pure maple syrup together and serve alongside the cooled muffins.
*You could also use all whole wheat pastry flour, or even all all-purpose flour. I just like the different flavors and textures you get with whole-wheat and spelt.
On the Side
This recipe is full of great smells: apple cider vinegar, vanilla, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, brown sugar, and maple syrup. What a perfect opportunity to take your child on a “Sense Adventure!”
Before beginning, take some time to review the five senses that we use to explore our world: sight, touch, taste, hearing and smell, the last of which you could focus on for this adventure. Ask your child to close her eyes, or use a clean kitchen towel to blindfold her if you think she will be okay with that, and allow her to blindly smell the different ingredients.
Can you identify what you’re smelling? Encourage her to come up with some adjectives to describe what she is smelling. Adjectives are words we use to describe how things look, feel, taste, sound and smell. What smells sweet? Sour? Spicy? Fresh?
Disclaimer: As with all of our recipes, my suggestions for how kids can help with a particular recipe are based on what has worked in our kitchen. Your child may be able to help more or less based on their age and/or ability. As always, make sure you are properly supervising kids in the kitchen.
Jenni says
October 5, 2015 at 3:47 PMThose look amazing! That cream cheese goodness.
Sally says
October 5, 2015 at 4:27 PMThank you! The cream cheese is SO good…
Stephanie says
October 5, 2015 at 3:55 PMDelicious! Will have to try them out. Braeden LOVES muffins, mommy loves frosting! Is there a specific reason for mixing the whole wheat flower and all purpose flour?
Sally says
October 14, 2015 at 2:25 PMThey’re so delicious and the cream cheese just puts them over the top. No underlying reason for using part whole wheat flour, except for trying to get in a little extra whole grains. You could certainly use all all-purpose flour. (Sorry again for the delayed response…many comments went into the spam folder and with me still figuring this all out, I didn’t realize it until just this afternoon!)
Katie says
October 5, 2015 at 8:02 PMGosh- can’t wait to try them- I am always looking for good yummy breakfast muffins for the kids that are a bit “healthier”- I will be sure to try these this weekend and let you know the verdict! Gosh this post makes me miss cooking with you! Or rather watching you cook!
Sally says
October 5, 2015 at 9:15 PMThanks, Katie!! I miss cooking with you too! These are definitely on the healthy side (with whole wheat flour, very low in sugar (only 1/2 cup) and full of carrots and raisins) but full of flavor too. I hope the kids enjoy them. And yes, let me know how it goes and if the kids get involved, too!
Mary says
October 7, 2015 at 8:46 PMThe recipe looks wonderful. I can’t wait to make them. I love all you have done so far. Amazing
Sally says
October 14, 2015 at 2:26 PMThank you, Mary!
Brooke says
October 9, 2015 at 2:52 PMWhat a great idea with the blindfolding and smelling!
Sally says
October 14, 2015 at 2:19 PMThanks, Brooke!
Jenny says
October 9, 2015 at 11:02 PMSuch a great idea to focus on getting your kids involved with making food with you. I know that when my 4 year old “helps make dinner” she is much more likely to eat different things. Excited to follow you and pick up new ideas.
Jessie says
October 14, 2015 at 5:11 AMThanks for inviting me to like the page through Facebook Sally. These recipes look amazing! I’m so excited to start trying some of them with Ben!! The muffins look absolutely delicious. Wish I had one now. 🙂
Sally says
October 14, 2015 at 2:11 PMThanks, Jessie! And thanks for sharing. Let me know how you like them!