Whole Wheat Carrot Cake Muffins

Hippity Hoppity Easter’s on it’s way!! And what does that sweet little Easter Bunny want? Carrots of course!!

If you make these muffins, I guarantee you will be having an Easter Bunny or two showing up at your door–in fact, I may pretend to be the Easter Bunny if it means more of these muffins–they are that good!!

And you may be wishing to dose your family up on something a bit healthy around this sugar crazed holiday! I promise these Carrot Cake Muffins will provide your family with a healthy treat that feels indulgent.

These muffin are full of whole grains, fruit, vegetables, natural sugars, and healthy fats. The coconut oil and applesauce keep the muffins tender and moist, even while still be 100% whole grain. The raisins, honey and applesauce keep them naturally  sweet. The whole wheat flour and carrots and fruit give you a healthy dose of fiber. And if that was not enough, the coconut oil and walnuts provide you with healthy fats and omega-3 fatty acids. Have I convinced you to try these?

Just in case you aren’t convinced let me promise you they are delicious! And you can serve these as a snack, dessert, or breakfast!

In fact, take a bit of cream cheese and mix in a tiny bit of maple syrup and fresh lemon juice and zest to thin the cream cheese out (I would use 4 oz softened cream cheese to 1 Tbs maple syrup and a 1/2 tsp lemon zest and 1 tsp lemon juice) and ice these babies and it becomes a perfect dessert to serve at Easter or whenever you are desperate to get some carrots into your children.

Oh yeah, that frosting definitely takes the muffin to a whole new level. I especially enjoy the tang of the cream cheese and the tart of the lemon playing against the sweetness of the muffin. Wow!

Let me take a moment to tell you a bit about coconut oil. It seems to be a new super food out there. The claims are that it lowers bad cholesterol and raises good cholesterol, improves skin texture, and is an easier fat to digest and burn efficiently. True or not, it lends a wonderful flavor to many baked goods and it is an all natural product. I personally am sold on it, but just as any source of fat, use in moderation. If you don’t have coconut oil, feel free to use canola oil or melted butter.

If you are interested in trying Coconut Oil  (and I highly recommend it–it is even great to slather on dry skin!!!) I would suggest purchasing it through Amazon for the best price. I buy this brand and have loved it for the quality and shelf life.

Okay, back to these glorious muffins. Here is the recipe:

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Whole Wheat Carrot Cake Muffins

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 40 minutes

Servings 12

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp ginger
• 3/4 cup grated carrots
• 1/4 cup raisins
• 1/4 cup chopped walnuts
• 1/2 cup melted coconut oil measure and then heat to melt
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 egg
• 1 cup applesauce

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 and line a muffin pan with liners or grease well.
2. Mix the dry ingredients until well combined. Mix in the carrots, raisins, and nuts into the dry ingredients to coat with flour (this prevents the goodies from sinking to the bottom of the muffin.)
3. Mix together the oil, vanilla, egg, honey and applesauce and add to dry ingredients. Mix until just combined--the batter will be thick!
4. Scoop with an ice scream scoop into the muffin tin. Bake for 20-25 minutes.

I hope you enjoy these muffins as much as I did 🙂