Carrot Cake Muffins

I used my zucchini muffins recipe, that I absolutely love, as inspiration for these muffins. I adjusted the measurements and added a few extra spices to fit the flavor profile of carrot cake. The results were absolutely ahhmazing! Here’s everything you need:

• Carrots: Carrots are of course the star of the show, so you’ll need about 3-4 large whole carrots, finely grated for this recipe. 
• All-Purpose Flour:  All-purpose flour gives the muffins structure. You can safely substitute up to half of the flour for whole wheat flour without affecting the flavor or texture too much.
• Baking Powder & Baking Soda: These are both leavening agents to help the muffins rise. I use both due to the extra acidity from the applesauce.
• Eggs: Eggs to help bind all of the muffin ingredients together.
• White Granulated Sugar & Dark Brown Sugar: The combination of both sugars help balance the sweetness, moisture and texture of the muffins.
• Applesauce & Oil: The combination of both cooking oil and applesauce keeps the muffins moist, but not too oily, and you gain more flavor and moisture by incorporating the applesauce.
• Cinnamon, Nutmeg & Ginger: These are classic spices that are often found in carrot cake. We use the right amount of each one to give these carrot cake muffins a wonderful flavor!  
• Vanilla: A touch of vanilla extract adds more rich flavor to the carrot muffins.
• Golden Raisins: The added raisins were honestly my favorite part of the muffins. They added a subtle sweetness and more texture to the muffins. Feel free to use regular raisins instead of golden raisins if that’s what you have on hand.
• Turbinado Sugar (optional): Adding a sprinkle of turbinado sugar on top of each muffin is totally optional, but such a special treat. It gives each muffin a sweet and light crunch on the top. If you don’t have turbinado sugar, no worries, these muffins are still delicious without it.