Kara’s Beloved Carroty Muffins

No refined sugars, easily digestible Einkorn flour, and an excellent way to use up a bag of carrots, this adaptation of my mom’s Carrot Tea Loaf is one of the treats that I am known for, and something that my friends request during this season every year.

Keroline says I make everything more difficult because I choose to take the long route and juice my carrots instead of merely shredding them, however, I LOVE a good carrot/orange juice, so I just see this as a way to get two treats in one extensive recipe. You can absolutely just grate up some carrots and skip the juicing step 😂

Another way I choose to make more work for myself is filling the muffins with a lightly sweetened cream cheese…but I mean really, who DOESN’T prefer a muffin with a filling?

If you’ve got some carrots that you don’t know what to do with and a hankering for some excellent baked goods, this is definitely the recipe for you.

As usual, full recipe video at the bottom of the page!

Kara’s Carroty Muffins

Makes about 24 muffins

Ingredients

• 3 eggs

• 1½ cups maple syrup

• 1½ cups olive oil

• 3 cups raw grated carrots (I use the pulp from juiced carrots — you can grate on a box grater, shred, or pulse in a food processor until very fine)

• 1 small (8 oz) can crushed pineapple, NOT drained

• 3 cups einkorn all-purpose flour (I use einkorn; GF 1:1 or any AP flour works)

• 1 tsp salt

• 1 tsp baking powder

• 1 tsp baking soda

• 1 tsp cinnamon

• 1 tsp vanilla

• 1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Cream Cheese Filling

• 2 (8 oz) blocks cream cheese

• 2 tbsp whipping cream

• Vanilla bean paste (or extract), to taste

• About 2 tbsp maple syrup, to taste

• Pinch of salt

Instructions

1. Cream together the eggs, maple syrup, and olive oil. Add the carrots, pineapple, and vanilla; mix well.

2. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon. Fold into the wet ingredients.

3. If desired, fold in the walnuts — or raisins, chocolate chips, etc.

4. Scoop into a greased muffin tin (or lined with baking cups) and bake at 350°F for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

5. For the filling: beat the cream cheese, whipping cream, vanilla, maple syrup, and salt with a hand mixer until silky. Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a small tip.

6. Once the muffins are completely cooled, pipe the filling into the center of each one.

BONUS: Purchase a bag of oranges to juice, OR a bottle of fresh-pressed orange juice to mix with your carrot juice for a delicious Vitamin C boost to go with your muffins!