Carrot Cake Muffins (Gluten Free and Vegan)

CARROT CAKE MUFFINS

I made some blueberry muffins (see link below) they other day and they turned out great.  I made a few changes to make the muffins vegan (swapped out soy yogurt for cow’s milk yogurt and used flax egg in place of regular eggs).  The muffin had a nice dense, moisture texture and I instantly thought that I would like to try to make this muffin with different ingredients since I liked the muffins so much.  Today was my attempt at a Carrot Cake Muffin and the results were great!  These muffins are gluten free, oil free, and vegan.  Today I made both the blueberry version and the carrot cake version and now my freezer is well stocked with healthy and easy snacks.

Carrot cake muffins

Inspired by a recipe on www.glutenfreeonashoestring.com

https://glutenfreeonashoestring.com/healthy-blueberry-muffins/

INGREDIENTS

2 1/4 cups (225 g) certified gluten free old fashioned rolled oats (or regular rolled oats if GF is not an issue)

1/2 cup (80 g) granulated coconut palm sugar (or light brown sugar)

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

3/4 teaspoon nutmeg, freshly grated if you have it

1 cup (240 g) smooth applesauce, at room temperature

1/2 cup (114 g) plain yogurt (I used Silk brand soy yogurt), may use any other plain yogurt if desired

2 flax eggs (combine 2 tablespoons ground flax need/ground flax seed with 5 tablespoons water, let it rest for about 10 minutes before adding to the dry ingredients), may use 2 eggs if desired

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup coarsely grated carrot (about 2 medium carrots), I used my box grater

1/2 cup pecans, chopped

1/4 cup raisins

• Preheat your oven to 325°F. Grease or line the wells of a standard 12-cup muffin tin, and set it aside.
• In a blender (or food processor fitted with the steel blade), place the oats and process into a fine powder. If you’re using coconut palm sugar, place that in the blender, too, and process it too. Pour the oat flour mixture into a bowl. Add in the baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.  Stir to combine.
  
  Create a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the applesauce, yogurt, flax eggs, and vanilla, and mix nearly combined. Add the carrots/pecans/raisins and mix gently until these ingredients are evenly distributed throughout the batter. The batter will be thick but very soft. Divide the batter evenly among the prepared wells of the muffin tin. Shake the tin back and forth to evenly distribute the batter in the wells.
• Place the tin in the center of the preheated oven and bake until the tops of the muffins are nicely domed and they spring back when pressed gently with a finger, 20 to 22 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for about 10 minutes in the tin before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.