Carrot Muffins | Imamother

Amarante

Sun, Dec 17 2023, 9:05 am

These were very good and like most muffins easy to make since you don't even want to use an electric mixer because they shouldn't be mixed too much.

I did use the packaged shredded carrots chopped a bit as the recipe suggests which simplified things but you can use fresh carrots which can be shredded fairly quickly with the Cuisinart but then need to be dried a bit.

Carrot Muffins

Excerpt From: Dorie Greenspan - Baking with Dorie

Makes 12 muffins

THE SURPRISING THING ABOUT these exceedingly good muffins is that they’re neither what you expect them to be nor even what they seem. They are not carrot cake made as muffins, although they share many of the cake’s ingredients. And they’re not very sweet or particularly rich. Brown sugar and vanilla give the muffins their warmth, ginger and tangerine zest give them their high notes and oil gives them their unusual lightness. They can include dried fruit or chopped nuts or even a spoonful of pomegranate molasses, an ingredient that is sweet and sour, unexpected in a muffin and very at home in these.

2 cups (272 grams) all-purpose flour
⅔ cup (133 grams) sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1½ teaspoons ground ginger
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
¼ teaspoon baking soda
¾ cup (180 ml) milk - can sub soy milk which is best for baking
⅔ cup (160 ml) flavorless oil, such as canola
1 tablespoon pomegranate molasses, or a little more to taste (optional)
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
⅓ cup (67 grams) packed brown sugar
Grated zest of 1 tangerine or small orange
1½ cups (150 ml) grated carrots (about 3 carrots; see below)
⅓ cup (about 50 grams) raisins, dried cranberries or chopped dried fruit (see below)
Sunflower seeds for topping (optional)

A WORD ON THE CARROTS: I always have packaged grated carrots in the house—I use them for a quick salad or slaw. If you’ve got them, you can certainly use them, but chop them—the strands are too long for muffins. They’re also a little drier than freshly grated carrots. If you grate your own and they seem wet, press them between paper towels to dry them a bit.

A WORD ON THE DRIED FRUIT: I like raisins, dark or golden, in these, but they’re also excellent with dried cranberries or small pieces of dried dates or figs. If you’d like, you can add chopped nuts too.

Center a rack in the oven and preheat it to 375 degrees F. Line a regular-size muffin tin with cupcake papers. For these, papers work better than baker’s spray, although it’s a good idea to spray the top of the tin, since the batter can spread over the tops of the cups.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, ginger, salt and baking soda.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the milk, oil, pomegranate molasses, if you’re using it, eggs and vanilla. Pour the liquid ingredients into the bowl with the dry ingredients and scatter over the brown sugar (if there are any lumps in the sugar, mash them or pick them out and discard) and zest. Using a flexible spatula, stir until most of the flour is moistened—make sure to get to the bottom of the bowl. Add the carrots and raisins or other dried fruit and stir to blend. Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups—it will fill them. Scatter over some sunflower seeds—go light here—if you’re using them.

Bake for 20 to 22 minutes, or until the muffins are golden brown and a tester inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. Transfer the tin to a rack and leave the muffins for 10 minutes, then turn the tin over and gently shake them out. Serve the muffins warm, or wait until they reach room temperature.

STORING: These muffins, like most, are best eaten soon after they come from the oven, but they hold surprisingly well overnight—keep them in a covered container. You can also pack the muffins airtight and freeze them for up to 2 months.”