Confession… I freaking love sweets. Chocolate mouse, cookies, cakes, muffins, you name it. I love dessert so much that I had to come up with a creative way to work it into my daily meals and snacks without going overboard. Now don’t get me wrong, there are definitely times to indulge in full-force treats. Birthdays, date nights, and special occasions are all times to celebrate with the people you love and share something really special. These muffins were inspired by my morning sweet tooth. How could I transform the delicious sweet and cinnamon spicy carrot cake into something you could enjoy guilt-free with your morning coffee?
After three different attempts I finally found the perfect formula. Let me warn you, when these babies come out of the oven they will smell so amazing that it will take massive will power not to tear right into them. The ‘cooling time’ is an important step, as it sets the muffin. Pulling them out of the tin too early will cause them to fall apart.
What makes them healthy? These muffins are made almost entirely from whole foods. They have a substantial amount of fiber and protein from the flours, and each muffin has the equivalent of a quarter of a carrot in it! The combination of fiber and protein keep you feeling satiated during a busy morning or mid-day slump.
I highly recommend adding in the optional coconut and walnuts! They give these muffins a supernatural sweet crunch.
Rustic Carrot Cake Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 cup finely grated carrots packed
- 1 cup unsweetend applesauce
- 1/3 cup coconut oil melted
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp ground flax seed
- 6 tbsp water
- 2 cups almond flour
- 1 cup oat flour
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp pumpkin spice
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts *optional
- 1/2 cup shredded coconut *optional
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 350°F. Lightly oil a 12 cup muffin tin.
- To make the flax egg, mix the ground flax seed with water in a small bowl. Let sit for 5 minutes. Mix together carrots, applesauce, coconut oil, lemon juice, maple syrup and vanilla extract in a medium sized bowl. Fold flax egg into wet mixture.
- Whisk together the almond flour, oat flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and pumpkin spice in a large bowl.
- Fold wet mixture into the dry mixture until completely combined with least possible stokes. Add in chopped walnuts and shredded coconut if using.
- Fill muffin cups to the top. Bake for 25-30 mintues, or until tops are just browned. Let cool 10 mintues in pan. Enjoy!
