Healthy Carrot Cake Muffins

Yield: 12 muffins

Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 20

This Healthy Carrot Cake Muffin recipe is tasty and versatile! Perfect for everything from brunch to meal prep for breakfast on-the-go!

Ingredients

Dry Ingredients:

1 3/4 cups whole wheat flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt

Wet Ingredients:

1/4 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup maple syrup
3 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Remaining Muffin Ingredient:

1 1/2 cups shredded carrots, about 2 large carrots shredded

Frosting Ingredients (optional):

1 oz. cream cheese, 2 Tbsp.
1 Tbsp. powdered sugar
1 tsp. milk
1/8 tsp. vanilla

Toppings (optional):

1/3 cup chopped walnuts

Instructions

Preheat Oven: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Please note, the muffins will be baked at 350 degrees, not 425.* Either grease a muffin pan or use muffin liners to prevent the muffins from sticking to the pan. Set aside.
Mix Dry Ingredients: In a bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients until well combined.
Mix Wet Ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients until well combined.
Combine: Combine the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients and shredded carrots. Stir until just combined. Try to use 12 stirs or less!**
Bake: Portion the batter into a muffin pan and put the muffin pan in the oven. Don't forget to reduce the temperature to 350 degrees immediately after putting the muffins in the oven! Bake for 20 minutes or until you can put a toothpick in the center muffin and pull it out clean.
Make Frosting (optional): Put the cream cheese in a small bowl and microwave for 15-20 seconds to make it easier to mix. Add the powdered sugar, milk and vanilla to the bowl. Whisk until combined.
Frost Muffins (optional): Once the muffins have cooled, dip the muffins in the frosting mixture and top with the chopped pecans! Enjoy!

Notes

*Preheating to a higher temperature counteracts the heat lost when the oven is opened to put the muffins inside. This is important because the muffins will rise better if the oven is immediately hot/350 degrees. Just be sure to reduce to 350 degrees once the muffins are in the oven!

**Over-mixing the muffin batter can cause the muffins to be chewy, dense and flat instead of light, fluffy and round. It is totally ok if there are lumps in the batter after your 12 stirs. The lumps won't effect your muffins!

Nutrition

Have you tried this recipe? Let me know what you think! Rate this recipe and leave a comment below.