Carrot Cake Muffins

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5 from 7 votes

Beautifully spiced muffins with loads of shredded carrots, a moist fluffy crumb and a light glaze for added sweetness.

Prep Time20

Cook Time20

Resting time15

Total Time55

Course: Breakfast or Brunch

Cuisine: American

Keyword: carrot cake, carrots, muffin

Servings:

Calories: 355kcal

Author: Tricia

Ingredients

For the muffins:

2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour (284g)
½ teaspoon salt
2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
2 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
¾ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
¾ cup granulated sugar (170g)
2 large eggs
¼ cup whole milk (2 oz)
1 cup sour cream or full fat yogurt (8oz)
8 tablespoons unsalted butter melted and cooled slightly (113g)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 ½ cups grated carrots lightly packed (165g) about 4 medium carrots

For the OPTIONAL glaze:

1 ½ cups powdered sugar (156g)
2 ½ tablespoons whole milk or cream
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup chopped pecans

Instructions

To prepare the muffins:

Preheat oven to 400°F. Lightly grease 12 muffins cups or cupcake liners with vegetable cooking spray. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl whisk together the dry ingredients: flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and sugar. Make a well in the center.
In a small mixing bowl whisk the eggs until blended. Add the milk, sour cream, melted butter and vanilla and whisk again. Pour the sour cream mixture and carrots into the flour. Fold together with a spatula until the dry ingredients are just moistened. Don’t over-mix.
Using a large ice cream scoop, portion out a heaping mound of batter and drop into the muffin tin well leaving the batter rounded on top. Repeat with the remaining batter filling all 12 muffins wells. Set the unbaked muffins aside for 15 to 20 minutes before baking.
Bake at 400°F for 16 to 20 minutes or until just set and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with no wet batter. Cool the muffins in the pan on a rack for 5 minutes. Transfer the muffins to a wire rack to cool. The muffins can be slightly warm when glazed.

To prepare the glaze:

While the muffins are cooling prepare the glaze. In a small deep bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, milk and vanilla until smooth. Dip the muffins (top down) into the glaze covering the muffin top completely. Sprinkle pecans on top and set on the wire rack to dry for a few minutes before serving. The glaze dries quickly.

Notes

Store muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Muffins can be frozen before adding the glaze. Thaw completely before glazing.

OPTIONAL:

Raisins, currants and/or chopped nuts can be added to the batter. We recommend plumping raisins first in a small amount of orange juice and microwave until steaming. Allow the raisins to rest for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until plumped. Add the raisins and any residual orange juice to the batter with the carrots.
Omit the glaze and brush the tops of the baked muffins with melted butter. Sprinkle or dip the tops into a mixture of cinnamon and sugar.
Cream cheese frosting can also be spread on top to mimic traditional carrot cake if preferred.

Nutritional information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. When multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition.

Nutrition