Carrot Muffins

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Ingredients

For the Carrot Muffins:

1-½ cups all-purpose flour or whole wheat pastry flour
¾ cup dark or light brown sugar, firmly packed
1 tbsp. poppy seeds
1-¼ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
2 large eggs
5 tbsp. olive oil, melted coconut oil or melted butter
1 tbsp. orange zest, firmly packed
2 cups carrots, shredded
¾ cup low-fat buttermilk

For the Cream Cheese Icing:

2 tbsp. cream cheese, softened
2 tbsp. confectioners' sugar
½ tsp. vanilla extract
1 to 2 tsp. milk, to thin

Instructions

To prepare the carrot muffins:

Pre-heat the oven to 425°F.
Prepare a 12-cup muffin pan with paper baking cups or spray with non-stick cooking spray.
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, brown sugar, poppy seeds, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
Stir in the eggs, olive oil and orange zest without over-mixing.
Fold in shredded carrots and buttermilk.
Evenly spoon the batter into the muffin pan cups, filling two-thirds full.
Place in the pre-heated oven and bake for 5 minutes at 425°F.
After the 5 minutes, without opening the oven, reduce heat to 350°F.
Continue baking muffins for about 12 to 14 more minutes or until golden brown and toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Remove from the oven, place on a wire rack and allow them to cool completely.

To prepare the cream cheese icing:

In a small bowl, mix together the cream cheese, confectioners' sugar, vanilla extract and milk.

To prepare and serve:

Drizle the icing over the muffins and serve.

Notes

Muffins are good for 2 to 3 days, in an airtight container, at room temperature or in the refrigerator for about a week.

To freeze muffins, simply place in a resealable bag then freeze for up to 3 months. When ready to serve, either thaw the muffins at room temperature or warm in the microwave.