Carrot Cake Muffins with Cardamom Cream Cheese Drizzle
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What does this food offer in terms of nutrients and physical nourishment?
Protein (nuts, some from egg and cream cheese)
Carbohydrates (sugar, carrots, nuts, flour, cream cheese)
Fat (butter, cream cheese)
Fiber (carrots, nuts)
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What does this food offer in terms of mental satisfaction through flavor, texture, and experience?
Soft
Moist
Fluffy
Chunky
Warming
Cozy
Sweet
Tangy
On and off for the past few years, I’ve been testing different variations of carrot muffin recipes. I haven't found one that really did the trick for me until now. These are moist, light, and fluffy with a little texture from the nuts and carrots. And the warming cinnamon and cardamom combined with creamy, tangy cream cheese has me swooning *chef’s kiss*.
I’ll admit that many recipe developers and professional pastry chefs would probably scream if they heard me suggest using pre-shredded carrots for any type of carrot cake. It’s true that shredded your own carrots is ideal for carrot cake because they’re softer and have more moisture when they’re fresh. But it’s also true that I don’t have time or patience required to sit and shred 5 large carrots with my small handheld cheese grater. You can absolutely shred you’re on if you’re in a Ina Garten mood but if you’re like me and want a quick prep, using shredded carrots isn’t the end of the world. I try to select a bag that looks more hydrated (if they’re white-ish and look brittle and dry, I pass) and then soak them in warm water prior to adding them to my batter.
To me, the best part of fall is how everything — from pumpkin spiced beverages to warm soups — is overflowing with cozy vibes. These cinnamon and cardamom spiced muffins are high up on the list of cozy things to snack on all fall long. In fact, you can guarantee I’ll be wrapped in a card-igan licking the card-amom icing bowl clean ;)
Allergens: Wheat/gluten, dairy, egg
Servings: 12 standard muffins
Prep time: 20 minutes (includes soaking time for carrots)
Cook time: 30 minutes
Total time: 50 minutes
Ingredients:
4 cups water (for soaking carrots)
2 cups shredded carrots, soaked
1 3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup milk of choice
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/3 cup butter, melted*
2 eggs
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
Optional:
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/4 cup raisins
Icing Ingredients:
5 tbsp (about 1/3 cup) powdered sugar
3 tbsp cream cheese
2 tbsp milk of choice
1/4 tsp ground cardamom
Directions for Muffins:
Preheat oven to 350F and line a standard sized muffin tin with parchment liners.
In a small mixing bowl, soak shredded carrots in warm water for 5 minutes. This helps rehydrate them so they aren’t as dry and crunchy.
While the carrots soak, whisk together wet ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
In a separate mixing bowl, combine dry ingredients (leaving out carrots, pecans, and raisins).
Slowly add dry ingredients to wet ingredient bowl, 1/2 cup at a time until fully incorporated with no lumps.
Transfer shredded carrots to a colander to drain and then pat dry. Fold into the batter.
Next, if using, fold the pecans and raisins until evenly distributed.
Using a 1/4 measuring cup, transfer batter to muffin tin. Batter will be chunky because of the carrots, nuts, and raisins but try your best to to scoop evenly.
Bake for 30-35 minutes or until tops are firm and toothpick or knife comes out clean.
Allow to cool before drizzling cream cheese frosting on tops.
Directions for Icing:
While you wait for your carrot cake cuties to finish cooling, heat your cream cheese in the microwave until softened (30-45 seconds).
In a small mixing bowl, first whisk together cream cheese and milk.
Gradually add in powdered sugar 1 tablespoon at a time until fully combined and without clumps.
Whisk in cardamon and mix until evenly distributed in frosting.
Drizzle on top of cooled muffins and serve immediately! Both the muffins and icing can be stored separately in airtight containers in the fridge for up to 1 week.
Note: If your icing isn’t thin enough to drizzle, add more milk 1-2 tsp at a time until you reach the desired consistency. If you prefer more of a thick frosting for the tops, use less milk!
