eat make read

For the past few weeks I’ve been passing over the carrots at the greenmarket. It’s not that I’m not a fan of carrots, I guess I just wasn’t ready for them. That is until this weekend. I saw them again, almost passed them up, but decided I was ready for a carrot bread/cake of some sort. I looked online and through my cookbooks and didn’t find anything that was quite the perfect match, so I devised a recipe of my own that combines the best of a few recipes. What I came up with was carrot ginger muffins and they’re sure to please.

I think this might be one of the healthiest treats I’ve ever made. My sweet tooth often outweighs health benefits, but this one really creates a nice balance of healthy versus delicious. It’s chock full of carrots, ginger and applesauce; and you even get a work out chopping up all the ingredients. I mean what’s not to like.

The result is really nice, especially if you spread a little butter over top. They have a nice texture that’s not overly coarse but really bursting with flavor. They’re a great way to start the day, and the batter makes so many muffins that you’ll be able to share.

carrot ginger muffins

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups sugar
2 cups carrots, chopped or shredded
1 Tablespoon ginger
1/2 cup pecans, chopped
1/4 cup sweetened flaked coconut
3 large eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup applesauce
2 teaspoons vanilla

Preheat oven to 350°F and oil 24 muffin cups.

1

Into a large bowl sift together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt and whisk in sugar.
2
Coarsely chop carrots, ginger and pecans. Add to flour mixture, adding coconut and toss well.
3
In a bowl whisk together eggs, oil, applesauce and vanilla.
4
Add egg mixture to flour mixture, stirring until batter is just combined well.
5
Divide batter among muffin cups, filling them three fourths full, and bake in middle of oven until puffed and a tester comes out clean, 15 to 20 minutes.