Tried-and-true carrot spice muffins
By Tali Simon | August 28, 2011
Before I was married, the only time I made muffins was on Pesach. I know, it doesn’t make any sense. But every year without fail, my family would pick up a box of Manischewitz kosher l’ Pesach muffin mix and a bag of chocolate chips, and that was the extent of my involvement with muffins.
Let’s just say I’ve since graduated.
I probably made my first batch of “married muffins” — these carrot spice ones — some six weeks after our wedding, as a side dish for a Shabbos lunch at home. I stumbled upon the recipe online somewhere and couldn’t believe how well they came out. I was on to something!
After that, muffins of all varieties became something of a staple in our house. I like them for breakfast, sometimes with a piece of fruit; my husband likes to snack on them at all times of day. Since the flour/sugar ratio is lower than in cookies and other baked goods, muffins are pretty much a win-win. (Especially these, which use real carrots and no chocolate.)
What kind of muffins do you like best?
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Yield: 12 regular muffins + 12 mini muffins
Ingredients
- 2 c whole-wheat flour *
- 3/4 c brown sugar
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp nutmeg
- 2 c shredded carrots
- 1/2 apple, shredded or a splash of apple juice
- 3 eggs
- 1/2 c canola oil
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/3 to 1/2 c raisins
- 1/3 to 1/2 c pecans (optional)
* I almost always substitute whole wheat for white flour (which was used in the original recipe). Even if you usually use white, I’d recommend going for the whole wheat here.
Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 350 F/180 C.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
3. Add the carrots and apple and mix well.
4. Add eggs, oil, and vanilla and stir until just blended. Gently stir in raisins and pecans, if using.
5. Line muffin tins with paper muffin cups (eliminates clean-up!) and fill most of the way with batter. Bake 22-25 minutes, until firmly set and golden brown on top. Let cool at least 10-15 minutes before eating.
5 Comments
Malka on January 25, 2012 at 11:42 am.
Made these last week for shabbos…..loove them…moshe eliyahu points to the freezer and says “cookie…cookie…please…” You really have a fan in him!
Tali Simon on January 25, 2012 at 12:14 pm.
Love that he says “please”!
Malka on January 25, 2012 at 7:35 pm.
That’s how we know he really wants it!
Elana Friedman on September 11, 2012 at 1:26 pm.
These are amazing. My 5 year old daughter really liked them and they are even good cold as well as hot. Thanks for sharing the recipe. I just wanted to know, do they freeze well?
Tali Simon on September 11, 2012 at 7:20 pm.
Glad you liked them! Yes, they do freeze well. I usually make just one batch at a time, but several months ago I did a triple batch and they seemed to do just fine in the freezer.