Carrot Cake Muffins

Celebrate spring and carrot cake season with these Carrot Cake Muffins! Any muffin that tastes like a dessert is a Breakfast Win in my book and as an added bonus, get in some veggies before lunch! 

Disclaimer: This post is sponsored in conjunction with #SpringSweetsWeek. I received product samples from sponsor companies to help in the creation of the #SpringSweetsWeek recipes. All opinions are mine alone.

Celebrate spring and carrot cake season with these Carrot Cake Muffins - Any muffin that tastes like a dessert is a Breakfast Win in my book and as an added bonus, get in some veggies before lunch! 

First off, I’d like to thank you for joining me for #SpringSweetsWeek. If you missed me earlier this week, I shared an old family recipe for Sponge Cake and some super simple, super springy Lemon Cake Mix Cookies. There’s also a giveaway with some great prizes – you can click on the link for Sponge Cake to read about our sponsors and the prizes, and scroll to the bottom of this post to enter to win.

Celebrate spring and carrot cake season with these Carrot Cake Muffins - Any muffin that tastes like a dessert is a Breakfast Win in my book and as an added bonus, get in some veggies before lunch! 

When I was planning for this week, I knew pretty quickly that I wanted to make something inspired by the classic flavors of Carrot Cake. I don’t know what it is, but it’s one of those desserts that I associate with Easter and spring. Last year I shared my family recipe for Carrot Cake, and this year, I’m sharing Carrot Cake Muffins. 

These muffins were Out. Of. This. World. I made a batch, intending to bring them to work, but my almost-5-year-old forbid it. And I’m not going to lie, I might have eat them two at a time. The flavor of the rich Dixie Crystals brown sugar really came through – deliciously sweet, no icing needed. Add that to sweet carrot and crunchy pecans and I was in heaven that week.

I ate these for breakfast, snack, a dinner side dish – every chance I got.

Celebrate spring and carrot cake season with these Carrot Cake Muffins - Any muffin that tastes like a dessert is a Breakfast Win in my book and as an added bonus, get in some veggies before lunch! 

Now I know that many people are hunkering down and trying to distance themselves as much as possible. This is a good recipe for that – for now or later. Carrots are one of those veggies that will last for quite a while, so it’s worth stashing an extra bag in your fridge. Make ’em and get a delicious breakfast or snack for that week (or for the future, if you choose to freeze them).

Got kids? Get them in the kitchen and turn it into a lesson. Teach them about measuring. Teach them math, about factions and parts of a whole. Let the kids read the recipe (reading practice!) and give instructions to test comprehension. At the end, they’ll have a sweet treat as their reward. 

No kids? Get in the kitchen anyway. Baking is a great outlet for stress and anxiety; it’s a great boredom-buster. 

Celebrate spring and carrot cake season with these Carrot Cake Muffins - Any muffin that tastes like a dessert is a Breakfast Win in my book and as an added bonus, get in some veggies before lunch! 

More than anything, I hope you and your loved ones stay safe, stay healthy, and stay sane over these next few weeks. <3 Liz 

Recipe Notes:

  • Big thanks to our #SpringSweetsWeek sponsor Dixie Crystals for providing beaucoup amounts of sugar. I’ve been using Dixie Crystals exclusively for years, including the light brown sugar used in this recipe. The sugar really shines in this recipe.
  • The pecans are optional, but I like the nice crunch they give the muffin. You can also add or swap the pecans for raisins, if that’s your thing.

Don’t forget to check out the other Spring Sweets my friends are sharing, directly below. 

 

Celebrate spring and carrot cake season with these Carrot Cake Muffins - Any muffin that tastes like a dessert is a Breakfast Win in my book and as an added bonus, get in some veggies before lunch! 

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Celebrate spring and carrot cake season with these Carrot Cake Muffins - Any muffin that tastes like a dessert is a Breakfast Win in my book and as an added bonus, get in some veggies before lunch! 

Carrot Cake Muffins

Celebrate spring and carrot cake season with these Carrot Cake Muffins! Any muffin that tastes like a dessert is a Breakfast Win in my book and as an added bonus, get in some veggies before lunch! 

Course Breakfast
Cuisine American
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 18
Calories 179 kcal
Author Liz

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp. baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp. baking soda
  • 3/4 tsp. kosher salt
  • 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
  • 3/4 c. unsalted butter melted
  • 1 c. light brown sugar packed
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 Tbs. sour cream
  • 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 c. grated carrots (from about 4 carrots)
  • 3/4 c. chopped pecans

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 375F. Line 2-12 cup muffin tins with paper liners and set aside.

  2. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, kosher salt, and cinnamon. In a smaller bowl, whisk together melted butter, brown sugar, egg, sour cream and vanilla extract.

  3. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and stir together, using a rubber spatula. When almost mixed, fold in grated carrots and pecans.

  4. Use a standard-sized ice cream scoop and portion dough into prepared muffin tins. Bake in preheated oven for 18-20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.

  5. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan and moving to a wire rack to cool completely. Store cooled muffins in an airtight container.

Adapted from Delish.

Raffleticket removed in March 2023, after the giveaway had ended, for improved reader experience. 

Disclaimer: Thank you #SpringSweetsWeek Sponsors: Dixie Crystals, Millican Pecan, Door County Coffee & Tea Co., Anolon, Fresh April Sprinkles, Deiss Kitchenware, and Adams Extracts for providing the prizes free of charge. These companies also provided the bloggers with samples and product to use for #SpringSweetsWeek recipes. All opinions are my own. The #SpringSweetsWeek giveaway is open to residents of the United States who are 18 years of age or older.   All entries for the winner will be checked and verified. By entering you give the right to use your name and likeness. The number of entries received determines the odds of winning. Seven (7) winners will be selected. The prize packages will be sent directly from the giveaway sponsors. The #SpringSweetsWeek Bloggers are not responsible for the fulfillment or delivery of the prize packages. Bloggers hosting this giveaway and their immediate family members in their household cannot enter or win the giveaway. No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited by law. This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter or any other social channel mentioned in the #SpringSweetsWeek posts or entry.

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