Recipe: Carrot Muffins

I really like carrot cake, but haven't had it in years since it typically contains nuts, raisins, chunks of pineapple, or at least big shreds of hard carrots. (Not to mention it's usually slathered in thick cream cheese frosting.) Well, I was watching The Chew recently and they made Brazilian Carrot Cake. Unlike American carrot cake, the carrots are pureed into the wet ingredients until completely smooth -- no chunks of raw anything! Of course, the cake still calls for a cup of oil and a bunch of eggs, but the technique piqued my interest. Since my birthday is coming up on Monday, I decided to see if I could adapt the recipe into something more GP-friendly and Crystal-friendly.

The requirements:

  • less fat

  • spelt flour (far less gluten than wheat; I tolerate it much better than white flour)

  • less sugar

  • no refined sweetener

  • portion control (a.k.a. cupcakes)

  • something that still tasted like moist, yummy carrot cake

Hm, a tall order. I searched the internet, combined a bunch of different recipes...and just made some stuff up. Sadly, my changes didn't make for very good cupcakes. They did, however, make for great muffins! So while I'm still working on my birthday treat, I thought I'd share my brand new Carrot Muffin recipe with you (which is pretty darn healthy, as far as baked goods go).

Pretty-Darn-Good-For-You Carrot Muffins

Makes 12 muffins (approx. 5 grams of fat and 2 grams of fiber each)No refined sugar; no wheat flour (NOT gluten-free); no dairy

Ingredients

  • 2 cups shredded carrots (I used 2/3 lb. of organic baby carrots shredded in dry container of the Vitamix)

  • 1 small banana, very ripe

  • 1/2 cup pure maple syrup (if you want your muffins on the sweeter side, use 2/3 cup)

  • 1/4 cup melted coconut oil

  • 1 egg

  • half an orange, juiced (about 3 tablespoons)

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 12-muffin tin with paper liners.

  2. In a high-powered blender (e.g. Vitamix) or food processor, combine first 6 ingredients (carrots, banana, maple syrup, oil egg, orange juice, and vanilla). Puree until completely smooth.

  3. In a large mixing bowl, combine all dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and ginger).

  4. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and stir just until moistened and combined.

  5. Fill each muffin liner with about 1/3 cup of batter (I used a large ice cream scoop).

  6. Bake for 18 minutes.

  7. Cool on a wire rack.

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