Carrot Cake Muffins – A Couple Cooks

This carrot cake muffins recipe is a showstopper! The muffins are moist and spiced, topped with a tangy cream cheese drizzle.

Right here’s a muffin recipe you want in your arsenal: carrot cake muffins! These are superbly moist and spiced, with cozy spices interspersed with pecans and brilliant strands of carrots. Add a tangy cream cheese glaze to embellish the tops, and it takes them into rockstar territory! This recipe is ideal within the spring, however we prefer it anytime of yr: it’s a success with family and friends alike!

Substances on this carrot cake muffins recipe

This carrot cake muffins recipe takes the whole lot you want in regards to the in style cake and boils it down into muffins. They’re evenly candy in order that they’re not too heavy, and drizzled with only a little bit of cream cheese icing (as a substitute of the standard beneficiant layers). There’s nothing higher than a fantastic muffin, and this one satisfies each little bit of a muffin craving. Right here’s what you’ll want:

• All objective flour
• Brown sugar and granulated sugar
• Cinnamon, cloves, allspice and nutmeg
• Baking powder
• Salt
• Pecans (or raisins)
• Eggs
• Applesauce
• Vegetable oil
• Vanilla extract
• Carrots

A couple of ingredient notes: the applesauce within the muffins retains them superbly moist with out utilizing extra oil. For those who love nuts, pecans are the right mix-in! You may swap them out for raisins, or you are able to do each (should you’re a fan of raisins in carrot cake).

For the cream cheese glaze

One of the best a part of these carrot cake muffins? The cream cheese glaze! This glaze is a play on our powdered sugar icing, however utilizing cream cheese as a substitute. Seems, softened and warmed cream cheese makes a wonderful glaze. Listed below are a couple of ideas to bear in mind:

• Warmth the cream cheese. Right here you’ll need to warmth it in order that it turns into very gentle and straightforward to stir. We did it within the microwave, however you can too use a small saucepan and use medium low warmth on the stovetop.
• Modify the powdered sugar and/or milk in very small portions. The aim is a drizzle-able glaze. Powdered sugar can have some variability whenever you measure it, so you’ll be able to add a little bit extra if the icing is simply too skinny. Add a bit extra milk if the icing is simply too thick.
• Use a fork for drizzling. One of the simplest ways to drizzle icing on muffins? Use a fork, not a spoon! It makes one of the best traces because it drizzles off of the tines of the fork.

Combine-ins and variations

Love a fantastic carrot cake? There are a great deal of variations on carrot cake, and you’ll work them into these muffins simply. Listed below are a couple of extra concepts:

• Raisins: use ½ cup as famous above
• Walnuts: use chopped walnuts as a substitute of pecans
• Coconut: add ¼ to ½ cup sweetened shredded coconut
• Pineapple: add ½ cup chopped canned pineapple instead of ½ cup of the shredded carrots
• White chocolate chips: Add one other candy layer with chips

Carrot cake muffins storage

These carrot cake muffins are so scrumptious, you’ll need to eat all of them the day of baking! However this makes a batch of 12, which might be greater than you’ll want. Listed below are a couple of notes on storing leftovers:

• The muffins final greatest uniced. If making the muffins prematurely, retailer them un-iced and refrigerated; add the drizzle straight earlier than serving.
• Retailer with a paper towel within the container. The muffins final at room temperature in a sealed container lined with a paper towel to soak up additional moisture, about 2 days if iced or 4 days if un-iced. The glaze turns into gentle throughout storage, but it surely holds its form.
• Retailer refrigerated for as much as 1 week or extra. Enable to come back to room temperature earlier than serving. Once more, the glaze turns into softer throughout storage however holds up.
• You may also freeze the muffins with out the glaze. They last as long as 3 months frozen.

Extra carrot recipes

This carrot cake muffins recipe is ideal for spring, Easter, or Mom’s Day brunch, but it surely additionally works any time of yr. Love making recipes with this orange vegetable? Listed below are some concepts for carrot recipes: