Even though I absolutely love chocolate, carrot cake is my favorite dessert. I don’t know what it is, perhaps the healthy appeal of shredded carrot blended together with cinnamon and nuts and layered with decadent cream cheese icing. 

Carrot cake, to me, is pure comfort. However, it isn’t always the healthiest dessert, despite its healthish name. Even carrot muffins or carrot loaf can be packed with fat, sugar and other unnecessary ingredients that do no good to one’s waistline. Knowing this, though, doesn’t take away from the craving I often get for my favorite dessert. So, I began a quest to create a healthier alternative in the form of a muffin. Yes, it does still include sugar but overall, I think it is a wiser choice when the hankering for carrot cake just won’t go away. 

Carrot Cake Muffins

Makes: 2 dozen

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of white flour
• 1 cup of white whole wheat flour
• 3 tsp of cinnamon
• ½ tsp of nutmeg
• 2 tsp of baking soda
• 1 tsp of salt
• 4 eggs
• 1 ¼ cups of coconut oil
• 1 ½ cups of sugar
• 3 cups packed of finely grated carrot
• 1 ½ cups of shredded coconut (sweetened or unsweetened – I’ve used both)
• 1 ½ cups of walnuts, chopped
• 1 ½ cups of white chocolate chips

Let’s do this!

1. Preheat the oven to 350.
2. In a medium size bowl, mix together the flours, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
3. Prep the carrots by washing them and peeling off the rough layer of skin. Using the small grates on a box grater, grate the carrots. Set aside.
4. Using a stand mixer, mix the sugar and coconut oil together until they are well incorporated. (Before mixing, you may have to melt the coconut oil in the microwave for 30-60 seconds if it is too hard or too solid.) Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until they are completely folded into the mixture. 
5. Add in the carrot. Blend together.
6. Add in the dry ingredients, about a ½ cup at a time, until fully integrated. 
7. Add in the coconut, nuts, and white chocolate chips, making sure not to over-mix. You may want to use a large spoon or rubber spatula. 
8. Fill a muffin tin with liners or spray with non-stick cooking or baking spray. Using an ice-cream scooper, portion each muffin cup with about ¾ of the muffin batter. 
9. Bake for about 22-24 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. 
10. Allow the muffins to cool completely before handling. If desired, you can place them on a cooling rack. Enjoy!

*Store these muffins in an airtight container or in a large refrigerated Ziplock bag for 2-3 days (at room temperature) or about 5 days (in the refrigerator).