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A close-up shot of two delicious carrot cake muffins stacked on a cooling rack, generously drizzled with white cream cheese frosting.
Maryam

Delicious Carrot Cake Muffins with Cream Cheese Drizzle

These moist and flavorful Carrot Cake Muffins are packed with grated carrots, warm spices, and a hint of brown sugar, topped with an optional tangy cream cheese drizzle for the ultimate treat. Perfect for breakfast or a sweet snack!
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Servings: 12 muffins
Course: Breakfast, Dessert, Snack
Cuisine: American
Calories: 220
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Dry Ingredients
  • 1 3/4 cups All-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup Granulated sugar
  • 1/4 cup Light brown sugar packed
  • 2 tsp Baking powder
  • 1 tsp Baking soda
  • 1 tsp Ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp Ground nutmeg
  • 1/4 tsp Ground ginger
  • 1/2 tsp Salt
Wet Ingredients
  • 2 Large eggs room temperature
  • 1/2 cup Unsweetened applesauce
  • 1/4 cup Vegetable oil
  • 1 tsp Vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 cups Grated carrots finely grated (about 3 medium carrots)
Optional Cream Cheese Drizzle
  • 2 oz Cream cheese softened
  • 1/4 cup Powdered sugar
  • 1-2 tbsp Milk or as needed for consistency
  • 1/4 tsp Vanilla extract

Equipment

  • Large Mixing Bowl
  • Medium mixing bowl
  • Whisk
  • Spatula
  • Muffin tin (12-cup)
  • Paper muffin liners
  • Grater
  • Wire Rack

Method
 

Prepare Oven and Muffin Tin
  1. Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C). Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners.
Combine Dry Ingredients
  1. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, light brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, ground ginger, and salt until well combined.
Combine Wet Ingredients
  1. In a separate medium mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, unsweetened applesauce, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract until smooth. Stir in the finely grated carrots.
Combine Wet and Dry Mixtures
  1. Pour the wet ingredient mixture into the dry ingredient mixture. Stir gently with a spatula until just combined. Be careful not to overmix; a few lumps are fine. Overmixing can lead to tough muffins.
Bake the Muffins
  1. Divide the batter evenly among the 12 muffin cups, filling each about two-thirds full.
  2. Bake for 5 minutes at 400°F (200°C), then reduce the oven temperature to 375°F (190°C) and continue baking for another 15-18 minutes, or until a wooden skewer inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.
  3. Let the muffins cool in the muffin tin for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Optional Cream Cheese Drizzle (if desired)
  1. While muffins cool, prepare the drizzle: In a small bowl, whisk together the softened cream cheese, powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla extract until smooth and pourable. Add more milk a teaspoon at a time if a thinner consistency is desired.
  2. Drizzle over the cooled muffins just before serving.

Notes

For extra flavor and texture, you can add 1/2 cup of chopped walnuts or pecans to the batter along with the carrots.
Store leftover muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days (especially if drizzled with cream cheese).
If you don't have applesauce, you can use an equal amount of mashed ripe banana or plain yogurt.