In the world of diet books and health talk, muffins tend to get a pretty bad rap. We hear lots about their high sugar content, their enriched flour and their deliciously butter-filled insides. And then there are the stats that say that eating one large muffin for breakfast is akin to putting away a mega-sized ice cream Sunday or half a bag of cookies. Blurg. Why can’t they leave our muffins alone?
But alas, there is a compromise! Unlike a lot of muffins that are really just glorified cake (and so, so yummy because of it), these little carrot numbers are arguably more worthy of the healthy breakfast label. With only 1/3 cup of sugar dispersed among the dozen, they’re just sweet enough. And they’re packed with carrots, which is another vitamin-filled plus. Throw in the winning (not to mention generous) combo of cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and cloves, and there’s definitely no skimping on flavor.
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Carrot Cake Muffins
From Martha Rose Shulman, The New York Times
• 2 ½ cups whole-wheat pastry flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon (I upped this from the original 2 teaspoons.)
• 1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• ½ teaspoon ground allspice
• ½ teaspoon ground cloves
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• 1/3 cup raw brown (turbinado) sugar
• 1/3 cup canola oil
• 1 1/3 cups buttermilk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2/3 cup golden raisins, tossed with 1 teaspoon unbleached all-purpose flour (or you could use 2/3 cup chopped pecans instead)
• 1 ½ cups grated carrots
Preheat oven to 375 degrees (oven rack should be in upper third of oven). Oil or butter 12 muffin tins, or line them with muffin cups.
Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices and salt. In a separate bowl, beat together eggs, sugar, oil, buttermilk and vanilla. Using a whisk or spatula, stir in the dry ingredients, and mix until well combined. Do not beat; a few lumps are fine, but you don’t want any flour left on the bottom of the bowl. Fold in raisins (or pecans) and carrots.
Spoon batter into muffin cups until they’re about 4/5 full. Bake for 20 – 25 minutes, until lightly browned and well risen.
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What healthy spins do you take to make muffins a healthier option for a weekday morning? Do you go the whole-wheat route? Downplay the sugar? Or maybe throw in some extra ingredients that up the protein, fiber or overall good-for-you-ness? Share your best tips!
XO,
Katrina
I like to add nuts, dried fruit and use oats or whole wheat flour in my muffins for extra goodness without the guilt!
I think muffins get a bad rap too when you are eating them from Starbucks or similar places and they are the size of a salad plate–smaller muffins, made from scratch with a little protein like a hard boiled egg, is a perfectly fine way to start the day 🙂
You’re so right! Portion size makes a big difference. And adding protein makes it a pretty well-rounded meal. Yay for muffins!
I love these: http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=10000001673123
Peanut butter and jelly muffins from Cooking Light. Two is a delicious breakfast with plenty of protein.
Those look great! I’m going to have to give them a try soon. Thanks for the recipe, Heather!
Is there any substitute for pastry flour other than cake flour?
You can definitely do equal parts all-purpose flour and cake flour in lieu of the pastry flour. Or if you don’t have cake flour on hand, you can try about 2 tablespoons of cornstarch to every 7/8 cup of all-purpose flour, though the muffins might end up a tiny bit tougher.