When you take a bite of carrot cake your teeth are engulfed in a magnificent combination of soft cake with fruit and nuts. Carrot cake is loaded with shredded carrots, pecans and pineapple, which gives it a more healthful feel for cake.
Carrot Cake Muffins are similar, but made for breakfast, which I love. You feel like you are cheating, but it’s a muffin, so why not indulge? These muffins are easy to put together for a quick breakfast or brunch and the batter can be prepared ahead and stored in the refrigerator for a few days, to bake off later.
I like to serve these muffins hot out of the oven, but you can also serve them with a drizzle of icing for a mid-afternoon snack with tea or coffee. These muffins make great portable treats for the holiday too!
Ingredients
2 cups all purpose flour
2/3 cup sugar, organic preferably
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 x-large eggs
1 8-ounce can crushed pineapple
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 carrots, washed & peeled
1/2 cup pitted dates
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup chopped pecans
To Prepare:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a stand mixer combine all the dry ingredients. Make a well in the center and add the eggs, pineapple, oil and vanilla extract.
2. Stir the mixture on low until moist, about 1 minute. Shred the carrots and chop the dates and add them to the batter.
3. Then, add the buttermilk and mix until combined, about 1 minute.
4. Remove the bowl from the mixer and stir in the chopped pecans by hand.
5. Spray a muffin pan with cooking spray and scoop out the batter into each cup. Bake the muffins for 18-22 minutes or until lightly golden brown.
6. Let the muffins cool in the pan for 5 minutes.
7. Invert the pan onto a board or baking rack and serve warm. Enjoy!
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