Carrot Cake Muffins

I made these gluten free for a friend last week, and he was blown away by how delicious they were. These moist, loaded, seasonal treats can be made with regular or gluten free flour. I’ve been using gluten free flour blends that can be directly substituted for typical measurements. A brand I’ve been liking is Orly’s, which served as the inspiration for these muffins. I like the blends since they’re more subtle and lighter than say, almond or coconut flours. These carrot cake muffins are a perfect Thanksgiving morning, feel good breakfast indulgence. Happy holidays!

Ingredients:
1 and 1/3 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
2 large eggs
2/3 cup sugar
2/3 cup canola oil
1/2 tsp vanilla
2/3 cup unsweetened applesauce (I used fresh)
1 and 1/3 cups fresh grated carrots
1/2 cup each coarsely chopped walnuts and golden raisins (I toasted my walnuts first but that’s optional)

This makes 12.
Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour a muffin tin. Mix dry ingredients in one bowl, wet ones in another. Fold in the carrots and applesauce to the wet ingredients. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ones, mix just to combine. Gently stir in the walnuts and raisins. Fill each muffin cup 2/3 full, bake for 20 to 25 minutes until a toothpick emerges clean.

If you’re giving these as a holiday gift, a basket lined with seasonal colored tissue paper, placed in a cellphone bag, and tied with a natural colored ribbon makes for a really nice presentation. That’s what I did, and it was super cute to serve up Little Red Riding Hood vibes.