These carrot muffins are delicious take on carrot cake. Plus, they are much healthier! I love these as a quick, energy boosting breakfast, and you can omit the cream cheese frosting to make them extra healthy.
These muffins are a direct influence from my childhood in Vermont. When I was a young kid, post-commune, my mom lived in Montpelier, VT, where she owned a dance studio. It was above the hippie haven, The Horn of the Moon Cafe, which served up ultra-healthy food to the bell-bottomed, long-haired, Birkenstock-wearing, bohemian patrons. Granola, whole grain bread, lots of sprouts (which grew in the window boxes), and carrot muffins (which I LOVED) were all on the menu.
These muffins are an ode to those memories, but, dare I say, even better than I remember. They are made with whole wheat flour, honey, and are packed with carrots, dates (for added sweetness), and nuts (optional). You can add cream cheese frosting or leave them plain and simple. They make a great breakfast, I eat them before my workouts for a healthy energy boost or a midnight snack you’ll feel good about. Enjoy!
Carrot Muffin Tips
- Swap dates for raisins or other dried fruit, if you prefer.
- For nut free version: try sunflower seeds or pepitas in place of the walnuts.
- Swap the confectioners’ sugar for 1/4 cup honey.
Pro Tips for Cream Cheese Frosting
- Make your frosting ahead of time. Sometimes, cream cheese frosting is a little bit loose; if so, it needs time in the refrigerator to set up. You can even make it a day ahead, and it will be easier to use. When you’re ready to use it, give it 30 seconds in the mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.
- When making the frosting, you must use room-temperature butter. But if your kitchen is very warm, you can start with cold cream cheese to prevent everything from liquifying too quickly.
- Start by blending the room temperature butter alone in your mixture to remove any lumps. I did this for about 4 minutes, scraping as needed. Once you add the cream cheese, don’t overmix it. Mix just until the two come together, then you can add your sugar.
- I add a few flavors to my cream cheese frosting, but be sure not to add too much liquid to the frosting. Tiny amounts make a difference in flavor and won’t ruin the texture. I add a dab of vanilla extract, lemon extract, and Lyle’s golden syrup to mine. See the video to see how small these additions are.
- The trick to thick cream cheese frosting is getting the temperatures of the ingredients right and not overmixing.
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups (166g) whole wheat flour
- 1 cup (120g) all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1/3 cup (66g) sunflower oil
- 3/4 cup (240g) honey
- 2 cups (230g) shredded carrots
- 3/4 cup (75g) chopped dates*
- 1/2 cup (60g) walnut pieces**
- 2 oz (60g) chopped chocolate optional
- 12 walnut halves**
- 1/4 cup (50g) raw sugar for tops
Cream Cheese Topping
- 8 oz (226g) cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1 cup (120g) confectioners’ sugar***
- 1/4 tsp lemon zest
- 2 Tbsp heavy cream more if need to make spreadable
Instructions
Muffins
- Preheat oven to 400℉.
- Line muffin tins with tulip paper liners.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flours, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, buttermilk, oil, honey, and carrots.
- Stir together the dry and wet ingredients with a rubber spatula, just until combined.
- Fold in dates and walnuts.
- Divide batter into lined muffin tin. Top each muffin with a walnut half. Sprinkle with raw sugar.
- Bake for about 20 minutes or until set and a tester comes out clean.
Cream Cheese Frosting
- In a medium bowl, mix together the cream cheese, confectioners’ sugar and zest. Mix in the cream if needed. Spread or pipe the frosting on the cooled muffins.
