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    Home » Recipes » Breakfast & Brunch

    Carrot Cake Muffins

    Published: Jun 19, 2022

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    These carrot cake muffins have fantastic, complex flavour, a great texture, and a fun cream cheese filling. Easy to make, too!

    3 whole carrot cake muffins on a plate, plus another split in half to show the cream cheese filling.

    Recently, I developed an (almost!) traditional carrot cake recipe. It looked and tasted like many other great carrot cake recipes ... but it was keto. So good! (Keto Carrot Cake!)

    That spawned a massive carrot cake craving in my non-keto husband, so we decided to design a carrot cake muffin recipe for him.

    We tweaked my base carrot muffin recipe to now feature delicious carrot cake flavor - including pineapple, which I feel is pretty essential when it comes to carrot cake. This also helped provide the moist crumb that we were aiming for.

    While many of my traditional muffin recipes are healthy - and there are plenty of healthy carrot muffins out there, we wanted to lean in on the carrot cake aspect, without ending up at carrot cake cupcakes.

    There’s a fine line, there!

    So, we decided not to do a cream cheese frosting, opting instead to do a sweet cream cheese filling. This carrot cake muffins recipe hits the right flavours and feels, while still feeling like a MUFFIN.

    They’re not really healthy carrot cake muffins, though. To hit the right textures and flavours we were, we had to be fairly generous in the fat and sugar content.

    While they may be a bit “generous” to be healthy muffins, they DO feature a lot of healthy ingredients, so consider it a partial win?

    These muffins are sure to be loved by the whole family, whether as breakfast, an afternoon snack, or even a dessert!

    They’re like your favorite carrot cake, but portable!

    3 whole carrot cake muffins on a plate, plus another split in half to show the cream cheese filling.

    The Verdict

    This muffin was an instant hit, and immediately made it into regular rotation here.

    As my husband (enthusiastically!) stated just now, when I asked what he would say about them:

    “Oh those were AMAZING. They had a really soft texture. I loved the little chunks of carrot and pineapple ... The muffin wasn’t homogenous, every bite was a bit different, and I loved that. The filling was a nice sweet, creamy complement to the fun texture and flavours of the muffin, too!”

    Definitely in the top 3 muffins you’ve made!

    So there you have it! The next time you want to toss on a batch of muffins, consider making these!

    A close up view of a carrot cake muffin on a white plate.

    Ingredients

    The complete recipe - including amounts - is in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

    This recipe requires mostly just simple ingredients that you could find at any grocery store - and probably have on hand - but I’ve got a few notes on some of them:

    Carrots

    I like to use fresh carrots, rather than pre grated carrots in a bag.

    Not only is it a great way to help use up that bag of carrots that never seems to go anywhere, the moisture content is higher.

    This recipe was based on fresh carrots that I’d shredded in my food processor, so using pre-shredded may cause a more dry, crumbly muffin texture.

    Brown Sugar

    We usually use brown sugar for this, but - due to the moisture content of this recipe - you can swap it out for the same amount of white sugar, if you prefer.

    Nuts and Raisins

    We used walnuts only, as my husband is a weirdo who’s against raisins in ANY kind of baked goods.

    That said, pecans also work well, and raisins would be fantastic. I like dark raisins in carrot cake, but golden raisins work just as well.

    Melted Butter

    We use butter, as we prefer the flavour. That said, you can use oil if you prefer.

    You’ll want a relatively neutral oil: vegetable oil, coconut oil, or canola oil, usually. Olive oil can be a bit too strong for use in muffins, IMHO.

    Cream Cheese

    We use a regular, full fat cream cheese, but feel free to substitute Neufchatel or a vegan / dairy free cream cheese. Because it’s a filling - and not structural - you can do whatever you want, here.

    Crushed Pineapple

    I use regular canned crushed pineapple. Be sure it’s WELL drained before measuring.

    Alternately, you can use any other form of canned pineapple - just drain it well and then puree it before measuring it.

    Milk

    You can use any kind of milk you like - skim, homogenized, buttermilk, almond milk, coconut milk, etc.

    Everything Else

    In addition to the ingredients I’ve mentioned, you’ll need:

    All purpose flour
    Ground Cinnamon
    Ground Ginger
    Ground Nutmeg
    Ground Cloves
    Baking powder
    Baking soda
    Salt
    Large eggs
    Vanilla extract


    3 whole carrot cake muffins on a plate, plus another split in half to show the cream cheese filling.

    How to make Filled Carrot Cake Muffins

    The full recipe is in the recipe card at the end of this post, this is a pictorial walk through of the technique.

    Make the Filling:

    In a small mixing bowl, Whisk the softened cream cheese until smooth and creamy.

    Add sugar and vanilla extract, stir to combine.

    A 4 part image showing the cream cheese filling being made.

    Chill in the fridge or freezer, while you make the muffin batter:

    Make the Muffin Batter:

    Preheat oven to 375 F. Line a 12 cavity muffin tin with paper liners, or spray with cooking spray.

    In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, brown sugar, baking powder, spices, baking soda, and salt. Add carrots and walnuts to the flour mixture, stir to combine.

    A 4 part image showing the dry ingredients being mixed together, and the carrot and nuts added to it.

    In a separate bowl (I usually use a medium bowl), combine pineapple, milk, butter, eggs, and vanilla.

    Add wet ingredients mixture to the large bowl of dry ingredients, stir gently to combine - batter should be lumpy.

    A 5 part image showing the wet ingredients being added to the dry and mixed into the muffin batter.

    For best results - and best texture - mix gently and only enough to just combine it. Over mixing can lead to a tough muffin texture.

    Assemble and Bake!

    Spoon batter into muffin cups, filling each about ⅓ full. (I like to use an ice cream / cookie scoop for this).

    Divide the filling between the muffin tins, aiming for a general tablespoon of filling in the center of the muffins - leaving room around the filling.

    Finally, divide the remaining muffin batter between the muffin cups, allowing the batter to fully encase the filling and for the top of the muffins.

    A 5 part image showing the batted being scooped into the prepared pan, filled, and topped with the remaining batter, as described.

    Bake in the middle of the oven for 22 to 25 minutes or until golden and a wooden toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean.

    (Note: Only insert it about ⅓ of the way down into the tops of the muffins. If you hit cream cheese, it’ll be wet no matter how done it is!)

    Cool in muffin pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes, before serving.

    A pan of 12 carrot cake muffins, fresh from the oven.

    Leftovers

    Leftover muffins can be cooled to room temperature before being stored in a plastic bag or other airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days or so.

    Best served reheated.

    A close up view of a carrot cake muffin on a white plate.

    More Muffin Recipes!

    Are you a fellow fan of muffins? I have some more marvellous muffin recipes for you!

    All-Bran Muffins
    Apple Blueberry Muffins
    Banana Nut Muffins
    Breakfast Corn Muffins
    Cardamom Pear Streusel Muffins
    Cranberry Orange Pistachio Muffins
    Gingerbread Muffins
    Healthier Apple Oatmeal Muffins
    Maple Pumpkin Spiced Muffins
    Nutmeg Coffee Cake Muffins
    Orange Almond and Date Muffins
    Peach Cobbler Muffins
    Pina Colada Muffins
    Stuffed Banana Nutella Muffins

    Also, be sure to check out our Breakfast and Brunch Recipes section for all kinds of great recipes!

    A close up view of a carrot muffin split in half, showing the cream cheese filling.

    Share the Love!

    Before you chow down, be sure to take some pics of your handiwork! If you Instagram it, be sure to tag me - @CelebrationGenerationCA - or post it to My Facebook Page - so I can cheer you on!

    Also, be sure to subscribe to my free monthly email newsletter, so you never miss out on any of my nonsense. Well, the published nonsense, anyway!

    Finally, if you love this recipe, please consider leaving a star rating and/or a comment below!

    3 whole carrot cake muffins on a plate, plus another split in half to show the cream cheese filling.

    3 whole carrot cake muffins on a plate, plus another split in half to show the cream cheese filling.
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe Save Recipe Saved!
    5 from 2 votes

    Carrot Cake Muffins

    These carrot cake muffins have fantastic, complex flavour, a great texture, and a fun cream cheese filling. Easy to make, too!
    Prep Time20 mins
    Cook Time25 mins
    Total Time45 mins
    Course: Breakfast
    Cuisine: American
    Servings: 12 Muffins
    Calories: 438kcal
    Author: Marie Porter

    Equipment

    Muffin Tin

    Ingredients

    Filling:

    • 8 oz Cream cheese softened
    • ¼ cup Granulated sugar
    • 2 teaspoon Vanilla extract

    Muffin Batter:

    • 2-¼ cups all-purpose flour
    • 1 cup Brown sugar packed
    • 2 tsp. Baking powder
    • 1 ½ teaspoons Cinnamon
    • ¾ teaspoon Salt
    • ½ teaspoon Baking soda
    • ¼ teaspoon Ground ginger
    • ¼ teaspoon Ground nutmeg
    • pinch Ground cloves
    • 2 cups Finely shredded carrots
    • ½ - 1 cup chopped walnuts and/or raisins optional
    • 1 cup Crushed pineapple well drained
    • ½ cup Milk or coconut milk
    • ½ cup Butter melted and cooled
    • 2 Large eggs lightly beaten
    • 2 teaspoon Vanilla extract

    Instructions

    Filling:

    • Whisk the softened cream cheese until smooth and creamy.
    • Add sugar and vanilla extract, stir to combine. Chill in the fridge or freezer, while you make the muffin batter:

    Muffin Batter:

    • Preheat oven to 375 F. Line 12 muffin cups with liners, or spray with baking spray.
    • In a large bowl, combine flour, brown sugar, baking powder, spices, baking soda, and salt. Add carrots and walnuts, stir to combine.
    • In a separate bowl, combine pineapple, milk, butter, eggs, and vanilla.
    • Add wet ingredient mixture to the bowl of dry ingredients, stir gently to combine - batter should be lumpy.
    • Spoon batter into muffin cups, filling each about ⅓ full.
    • Divide the filling between the muffin tins, aiming for a general tablespoon of filling in the center of each - leaving room around it.
    • Finally, divide the remaining batter between the muffin cups, allowing the batter to fully encase the filling.
    • Bake in a 375 degree F oven for 22 to 25 minutes or until golden and a wooden toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean. (Note: Only insert it about ⅓ of the way down. If you hit cream cheese, it’ll be wet no matter how done it is!)
    • Cool in muffin cups on a wire rack for 5 minutes, before serving

    Video

    Nutrition

    Calories: 438kcal | Carbohydrates: 49g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 67mg | Sodium: 443mg | Potassium: 248mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 27g | Vitamin A: 4107IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 132mg | Iron: 2mg

    1 whole carrot cake muffin on a plate, plus another split in half to show the cream cheese filling.
    4 carrot cake muffins on a plate.

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    Marie Porter


    Evil Cake Overlord, All -Around Kitchen Badass!

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