Carrot Cake Muffins - multisitehub

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Steps to Make It.

Contents

Ingredients Nutritions HTML Directions Cream Cheese + Carrot Cake = Heaven Sugar and Spice Swaps How to Grate the Carrots When to Serve These Muffins (Hint: Anytime)Never Lose a Recipe Again!Tips Recipe Variations How to Store

15 mins

23 mins

38 mins

Breads

beginner

Serves 12

american

Ingredients

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Nutritions

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a:12:{i:0;a:2:{s:5:"title";s:23:"Gather the ingredients";s:4:"text";s:69:"Gather all ingredients and measure them out before starting.
";}i:1;a:2:{s:5:"title";s:29:"Prepare the muffin tin";s:4:"text";s:80:"Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners. Preheat oven to 350 F.
";}i:2;a:2:{s:5:"title";s:40:"Mix brown sugar, oil, and vanilla";s:4:"text";s:85:"Whisk the brown sugar, oil, and vanilla in a large bowl until combined.
";}i:3;a:2:{s:5:"title";s:20:"Add the eggs";s:4:"text";s:52:"Whisk in the eggs one at a time until incorporated.
";}i:4;a:2:{s:5:"title";s:42:"Incorporate the baking ingredients";s:4:"text";s:91:"Sprinkle the baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt into the bowl.
";}i:5;a:2:{s:5:"title";s:26:"Fold in the flour gently";s:4:"text";s:66:"Gently fold in the flour until a few streaks remain.
";}i:6;a:2:{s:5:"title";s:14:"Add the carrots";s:4:"text";s:37:"Fold in the grated carrots evenly.
";}i:7;a:2:{s:5:"title";s:40:"Layer the muffin batter";s:4:"text";s:65:"Place 1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons of batter in each cup.
";}i:8;a:2:{s:5:"title";s:36:"Add cream cheese to muffins";s:4:"text";s:64:"Dollop 2 teaspoons of cream cheese into the center.
";}i:9;a:2:{s:5:"title";s:43:"Top with more batter and sugar";s:4:"text";s:67:"Cover with more batter and sprinkle with turbinado sugar.
";}i:10;a:2:{s:5:"title";s:32:"Bake until golden brown";s:4:"text";s:97:"Bake for 22 to 24 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean, serve warm.
";}i:11;a:2:{s:5:"title";s:31:"Enjoy your carrot muffins!";s:4:"text";s:66:"Let muffins cool slightly before enjoying or serving.
";}}

HTML Directions

1

Gather Ingredients

Gather all necessary ingredients for the carrot cake muffins.
2

Prepare Muffin Tin

Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners. Set an oven rack to the center position and preheat the oven to 350°F.
3

Mix Wet Ingredients

In a large bowl, whisk the brown sugar, oil, and vanilla until well combined.
4

Add Eggs

Whisk in the eggs one at a time, ensuring each is fully incorporated before adding the next.
5

Combine Dry Ingredients

Sprinkle the baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt into the mixture, whisking vigorously after each addition.
6

Incorporate Flour

Gently fold in the flour using a silicone spatula, mixing until just a few streaks remain.
7

Add Carrots

Fold the shredded carrots into the batter gently.
8

Fill Muffin Cups

Spoon 1½ to 2 tablespoons of the batter into the bottom of each muffin cup.
9

Add Cream Cheese

Place a dollop (about 2 teaspoons) of cream cheese in the center of each muffin cup.
10

Top with Batter

Cover the cream cheese with another 1½ to 2 tablespoons of batter.
11

Sprinkle with Sugar

Dust the tops of each muffin with turbinado sugar.
12

Bake Muffins

Bake for 22 to 24 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through. To test for doneness, insert a wooden skewer into the side of a muffin; it should come out with a few moist crumbs attached. Serve warm or at room temperature.

These delightful little carrot cake muffins could not be tastier or easier to assemble. You make them in a single bowl with a whisk and a spatula, and all the ingredients you need are likely already in your pantry.

Cream Cheese + Carrot Cake = Heaven

We stuff these cuties with tangy, unsweetened cream cheese because cream cheese and carrot cake are a match made in heaven. The cream cheese also provides a nice contrast to the lightly sweet muffin. Think slice of carrot loaf cake with a smear of cream cheese and you'll understand what you're getting into here.

Sugar and Spice Swaps

We prefer brown sugar in this recipe for the molasses-like flavor it imparts, but you can substitute granulated sugar if desired. To streamline the recipe, we kept the spices to a minimum—just some cinnamon, in fact—but feel free to add a little ginger or cardamom if that's how you roll.

How to Grate the Carrots

Using oil instead of butter in a muffin recipe makes them really easy to mix together and keeps them super moist (oil + carrots = moist muffins for days). The most "difficult"—if you can call it that—part of this recipe is grating the carrots. We like to use our food processor's grater attachment, but you can also use a box grater.

When to Serve These Muffins (Hint: Anytime)

These muffins are obviously perfect for breakfast, but would also make a great late morning snack with a cup of coffee, an after-school snack for the kids (or you), or a lovely late-night treat while binge-watching tv. Bottom line: they are fantastic whenever the craving hits.

Never Lose a Recipe Again!

Love a Spruce Eats recipe? With MyRecipes, your personal home for recipes, easily save and organize your favorites, plus thousands more, in one convenient place.

Tips

When finely grating the carrots, you can use a food processor or a box grater.
Do not aggressively pack the measuring cups with the grated carrots. They should be loosely packed.
Add the carrots when you can still see streaks of flour in the mixing bowl, so you don't over mix the batter.
A small 2-tablespoon portion scoop works great for portioning the batter into the muffin cups, if you have one.
You will know the muffins are done when they are dry to the touch (but don't burn yourself) and when a wooden skewer inserted into the side comes out with a moist crumb or two attached.
The tops of the muffins may pucker and dip a little once baked due to the cream cheese filling. If you do not use the cream cheese, they will dome.

Recipe Variations

Use granulated sugar instead of light brown sugar.
Add additional spices for a more complex flavor, such as 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger and 1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom.
Divide the cream cheese into teaspoon-size bits and fold the bits into the batter before you fill the cups, rather than placing two teaspoons in the center of each muffin.
If you want straight-up carrot muffins, simply omit the cream cheese.
For carrot cake cupcakes (instead of muffins) omit the cream cheese centers and dip the cooled muffins into this cream cheese glaze, or drizzle it on top.

How to Store

The muffins can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days. Due to the cream cheese, they cannot be left out on the counter. These muffins do not freeze well, again, due to the cream cheese.

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