Half Baked Harvest’s Tieghan Gerard shares a recipe for carrot cake muffins with a creamy surprise—ideal for kickstarting a spring morning.
“Better than you could get at any coffee shop, these muffins melt in your mouth. Enjoy these just as they are, or serve with a smear of sweet butter and sea salt. Perfect for all of the spring weekends, especially Easter Sunday!” —Tieghan Gerard
Carrot Cake Muffins
Ingredients
- ½ c. avocado oil ormelted coconut oil
- ½ c. maple syrup
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tbsp. vanilla extract
- 1½ c. grated carrots
- 1½ c. whole wheatpastry flour (or all purpose flour)
- 1½ tsp. baking powder
- ½ tsp. baking soda
- 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp. ground cardamom
- ½ tsp. ground ginger
- ¼ tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
- ½ tsp. kosher salt
- 4 oz. cream cheese (cut into 12 cubes)
- ½ c. cinnamon sugar
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Line 12 muffin tins with paper liners.
- In a large bowl, stir together oil, maple syrup, eggs, and vanilla until combined.
- Stir in shredded carrots.
- Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, nutmeg, and salt.
- Mix until just combined.
- Divide the batter among the prepared pan.
- Push one cube of cream cheese into each muffin, using a spoon to cover the cube. It’s okay if not all the cream cheese is covered.
- Evenly sprinkle the cinnamon sugar over each muffin.
- Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, until just set.
- Serve with butter and sea salt (if desired) on top.
