Spiced Carrot and Pumpkin Muffins

This orange vegetable hybrid muffin is a deliciously fluffy and delicately spiced cake with the OG cream cheese frosting.

I love these muffins as a snack or breakfast on the go. I could not decide between pumpkin and carrot cake so why not both?!

When someone says to me, bake something healthy my inital thoughts on this is disgust and outrage. Homebaked is always going to be better for you, the enjoyment from baking it yourself and the peace of min knowing exactly what went into the baking, is in itself inherently ‘healthy’. We don’t need to substitue every dairy product for something nut milk or every sugar for unrefined maple syrup - the truth is hun, if you want to have a sweet treat have the damn sweet treat! The substitutions and replacements can cause more trouble than they are worth in terms of the amount of greenhouse gases and preservatives used to make something that resembles the sugar and the flour and the dairy products we need to make a baked good we crave.

That said I do enjoy these muffins and I will always pick a sweet breakfast over something savoury unless mushrooms are involved then I might…. (end rant)

Makes 12 muffins

The Muffins

• 1 1/2 cup spelt wholemeal flour

• 1 tsp baking powder

• 1/2 tsp bicarb soda

• 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

• 1/2 tsp nutmeg

• 1/4 allspice

• 1 cup grated carrots (about 2 carrots)

• 1/2 cup maple syrup/honey

• 1 tbs olive oil

• 1/2 cup pumpkin puree (can use ripe banana)

• 1 egg, lightly beaten

• 2 tsp vanilla

• 1/2 cup almond milk/coconut milk/milk of your choice

• 1/4 cup desiccated/shredded coconut

• 1/2 cup raisins/sultanas

• 1/4 cup chopped walnuts

The Frosting

• 113 g cream cheese, softened

• 1/4 cup icing sugar

• 1/2 tsp vanilla

• 1-2 tbs almond milk

• chopped walnuts

To make the muffins

1. Preheat oven to 170’C fan forced.

2. Place flour, baking powder, bicarb soda and spices in a bowl and whisk to combine.

3. Add carrot, maple syrup, oil, egg, pumpkin, vanilla and milk to dry ingredients and fold until just combined. Do not over-mix.

4. Gently fold in walnuts, raisins and coconut until evenly distributed.

5. Bake for 12-15 minutes.

6. Remove from oven and allow to cool in tray for 5 minutes then move to cooling rack to cool completely.

To make the frosting

1. Beat the cream cheese in a bowl until light and creamy.

2. Slowly add in sugar and beat on low until combined. Then add vanilla and beat until well combined.

3. If the icing is too stiff add the almond milk, 1 tablespoon at a time until a firm spreadable consistency is achieved.

4. Dollop a teaspoon of mixture onto the centre of each muffin (or pipe a nice rosette). Sprinkle with chopped walnuts.

Notes:

*I use Red Tractor Oats

* I use Almond Breeze unsweetened almond milk

* You could use Oat milk or something similar instead, I’m a big fan of oat milk.

final thoughts…

I’m doing Chicago Marathon in 2 months. For real shooting for a 2:50 anything. No more sub 3.

Let me know any fun things for Chicago, New York and San Fran in October.

Also how good is this season of Below Deck - I actually cannot.

Amelia xx