Carrot Muffins: An Easter Morning Treat

Easter is tomorrow morning, and it is going to be a bit of a different year. Church will be virtual, and there won't be any large gatherings. But one thing that can stay the same is having normal holiday food. I always love to start off Easter morning with a treat, and this muffin recipe is one I have been making for several years now. It is basically fool proof, and actually pretty healthy. I will say, these muffins aren't very sweet on their own, so if you have a sweet tooth, serving them warmed up with a little almond butter and local honey is the way to go.

Let me introduce today's cast of characters:

I omitted the salt container, but otherwise this is everything! If you are a new cook or baker, I strongly recommend setting all your ingredients out first so you won't forget anything!

• 1 3/4 Cup of Oat Flour
• 1/4 Cup of Rolled Oats
• 2 tsp of Baking Powder
• 1/2 tsp of Baking Soda
• 2 tsp of Ground Cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp of Ground Nutmeg
• 1/4 Cup of Sugar
• A Pinch of Salt
• 2 Eggs
• 1/2 Cup of Non-Fat Greek Yogurt
•  3/4 Cup of Milk of Choice (I used Oatly Oatmilk)
• 2 tsp of Vanilla Extract 
• 1.5-2 Medium sized Carrots
• A Handful of Raisins (Plus one sprinkle if you are like me and enjoy them a lot)

1. Preheat the oven to 425 F. Gluten Free baking items usually need a little extra help rising. The higher temp at first will help these muffins rise. You then drop the temp after they rise. 

2. Put all of your dry ingredients in your bowl (hint: I wrote the list in order, so do everything up to salt at this point). Give everything a good whisk together to combine. 

3. Add your wet ingredients (from eggs to to vanilla extract). I use a whisk to combine. The batter is pretty light, so I don't have any issues doing this by hand. Mix to combine, but don't over mix. The batter will start to become fluffy as the baking soda and powder start to interact with the other ingredients, and you don't want to flatten it back out. 

4.  Take your favorite grater and grate the carrots straight into your bowl. I like them a little chunky for texture in the muffin. Then toss in your raisins and stir lightly to combine. 

Let's be real: your muffin tin isn't perfect when you fill it. Don't let Pinterest or IG fool you.

5. Grease a non-stick muffin pan with some cooking spray. I like this one. You can even get it at Costco to save some money. I think the Amazon price is what I paid for a two pack at Costco. (Costco does not sponsor me; I just like to share money saving tips).  

6. I use a wooden spoon for this part, but anything works! Pour or scoop the batter to make each muffin cup about 3/4 of the way full. 

7. Bake at 425 for 7 ,minutes, then reduce the heat to 375 and continue baking for 15-17 minutes. Let the muffins cool, then run a butter knife around the edge of the muffin and pop it out of the tin. 

8. Drizzle with almond butter and or honey, and enjoy!