Carrot Muffins

Carrot Muffins

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups,white whole wheat flour

carrots, 1 1/2 cups grated

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 tsp. baking soda

1 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice*

a dash of salt

2 large eggs

1/2 cup natural applesauce

1/4 cup plain greek yogurt

1 tsp. vanilla extract**

Directions:

I pulsed about two cups of shredded carrots in my food processor to get about 1 1/2 cups of grated carrots.  Add flour, brown sugar, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice and salt and whisk to combine (make sure there are no brown sugar clumps).  Beat in the two eggs, applesauce, yogurt, and vanilla extract and stir until just combined.  Bake at 375 degrees in a prepared (either greased or lined with cupcake liners).  Check at 14 minutes for doneness and leave in another few minutes if cake tester comes out still moist. Transfer to a cooling rack before storing in an airtight container.

*My pumpkin pie spice recipe:

1 tsp ground ginger

1 1/3 tsp ground cloves

1 1/3 tsp ground nutmeg

1 1/2 Tbsp + 1/3 tsp cinnamon

Mix all ingredients together and store in a small airtight container with your other spices. Don't laugh at this picture - just posting it to show it doesn't have to be fancy :)

**I make my own vanilla extract by soaking slit vanilla beans in a mason jar partially filled with vodka. After shaking every few days for a few months I have my own vanilla extract and just add more vodka as it's depleted.

My kids and husband all tried these and said "yum" so I think they are a hit.

Adaped from the recipe for Carrot-Muffin Baby Bundts in Good Housekeeping March 2016