Carrot Cake Muffins
Carrot cake is one of those recipes where some people love it and others strongly dislike it.
- 2 cups finely grated carrots (about 3-4 large carrots, $0.57)
- 2 large eggs ($0.36)
- ½ cup dark brown sugar ($0.24)
- ½ cup granulated sugar ($0.16)
- ⅓ cup sweetened applesauce ($0.18)
- ½ cup cooking oil ($0.32)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract ($0.50)
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour* ($0.25*)
- 1 tsp baking powder ($0.06)
- ½ tsp baking soda ($0.02)
- ½ tsp salt ($0.04)
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon ($0.10)
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg ($0.02)
- ½ tsp ground ginger ($0.05)
- ¾ cup golden raisins ($1.49**)
- 1 Tbsp turbinado sugar* ($0.06***)
- Preheat the oven to 350°F / 180C / 160C fan or Gas Mark 4. Wash, peel and grate the carrots using the small/fine holes on a box grater. Set the grated carrots to the side.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients (eggs, dark brown sugar, granulated sugar, applesauce, oil and vanilla extract) until well combined.
- Add the grated carrots to the bowl with the wet ingredients. Stir until combined.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ground nutmeg, and ground ginger) until well combined.
- Add the dry ingredients to the same bowl as the wet ingredients. Stir together until just combined. Be careful not to overmix at this point.
- Add the raisins to the bowl and fold them into the batter until just combined.
- Divide the batter between ten greased or lined muffin wells. Sprinkle a little turbinado sugar on top of each muffin (optional).
- Bake the muffins for 20-22 minutes or until golden brown and puffed in the center. Allow the muffins to cool for about 5 minutes, then carefully loosen the edges with a knife and transfer the muffins to a wire rack to finish cooling. Enjoy!
“I made these this morning and added walnuts as suggested. This recipe is fantastic! Definitely going into my regular baking rotation. Thanks for another winning recipe!”
Well today, these Carrot Cake Muffins deserve to be in a class of their own. They’re soft, fluffy, and perfectly moist with all the wonderful flavors of carrot cake, but in a convenient, easy to share muffin size. Mix the dry and wet elements together until they are just barely combined and there are no traces of dry flour left in the bowl.
And if you really want to take these carrot muffins over the top, add some cream cheese frosting on top! ;) Want these a little less sweet? Some readers have reduced the total sugar to ½ cup (95g) (¼ cup (55g) white and ¼ cup (40g) brown sugar) and still loved the results, since the raisins help add natural sweetness.
In a large bowl, whisk together the wet components (eggs, dark brown sugar, granulated sugar, applesauce, oil and vanilla extract) until well combined. Add the grated carrots to the bowl with the wet components.
Add the raisins to the bowl and fold them into the batter until just combined. Bake the muffins for 20-22 minutes or until golden brown and puffed in the center.
Allow the muffins to cool for about 5 minutes, then carefully loosen the edges with a knife and transfer the muffins to a wire rack to finish cooling. All-purpose flour is known as plain flour in the UK. **The golden raisins are honestly my favorite part of these muffins.
Now wash, peel and grate 2 cups of finely grated carrots using the small/fine holes on a box grater (about 3-4 carrots). Combine the wet components: Whisk 2 eggs, ½ cup dark brown sugar, ½ cup granulated sugar, ⅓ cup applesauce, ½ cup cookery oil and 1 tsp vanilla extract in a large bowl until combined.
Make the batter: Add the grated carrots to the bowl with the wet elements. Add the dry components to the same bowl as the wet components.
Stir together until just combined, but be careful not to overmix the batter as this can make the muffins dense. Add ¾ cup golden raisins to the bowl and fold them into the batter until just combined.
Optional: Divide 1 Tbsp turbinado sugar and sprinkle a little on top of each muffin. Bake the muffins for 20-22 minutes or until golden brown and puffed in the center.
Allow them to cool for about 5 minutes, then carefully loosen the edges with a knife and transfer the muffins to a wire rack to finish cooling. You can store leftover carrot cake muffins in an airtight container or a food storage bag in the fridge for 4-5 days.