Carrot, Apple & Date Muffins

Think something like carrot cake but way better and way better for you.  Top notch – these babies are incredibly scrumptious and keep the fam reaching for more while mom sits there sipping her coffee counting all the fruits and veg they’re getting from the start of their day.

These muffins make a great, quick breakfast! Recipe yields 12 muffins.  Try them paired with some vanilla dessert hummus (yes, I mean SCHMEAR it all up on the top like icing) and you have a solid dessert without the nutritional compromise.  Boom!  Let’s eat.

INGREDIENTS

2 cups raw rolled oats (if you don’t have a food processor to prep this is, substitute this for oat flour)

1 ½ teaspoons baking powder

1-2 generous teaspoon pumpkin pie spice or ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

2 cups peeled and grated carrots* (that’s potentially a lot of carrots—about 3 large or up to 6 small/medium)

2 Apples, peeled and coarsely chopped (if not using a food processor, substitute this for about one cup of apple sauce, adding more as needed to achieve desired moisture in the muffins, preferably at room temperature)

⅓ cup melted coconut oil

½ cup maple syrup or honey

2 egg substitute, preferably at room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

½ cup roughly chopped walnuts

3/4 cup medjool dates, pitted and chopped

INSTRUCTIONS

Food Processor Method

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Line or lightly oil all 12 cups on your muffin tin with coconut oil.
2. Combine all ingredients EXCEPT your dates and walnuts.  Puree all ingredients until smooth.
3. Add walnut and date mixture and gently pulse to combine.  DO NOT PUREE THESE IN!
4. Divide the batter evenly between the 12 muffin cups. Bake muffins for 13 minutes, or until the muffins are golden on top and a toothpick inserted into a muffin comes out clean.
5. Place the muffin tin on a cooling rack to cool. If you have leftover muffins, store them, covered, at room temperature for two days, or in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Freeze leftover muffins for up to 3 months.

Hand Method

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Line or lightly oil all 12 cups on your muffin tin with coconut oil.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the oat flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and baking spices. Blend well with a whisk. In a separate, small bowl, toss the chopped dates with the coarsely chopped walnuts.  Add the grated carrots, chopped walnuts and dates to the other ingredients and stir to combine.
3. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the egg substitute, melted coconut oil, apple sauce, maple/honey and vanilla and beat together. (If the coconut oil solidifies in contact with cold ingredients, gently warm the mixture to get it moving again.)
4. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix with a big spoon until combined.
5. Divide the batter evenly between the 12 muffin cups. Bake muffins for 13 minutes, or until the muffins are golden on top and a toothpick inserted into a muffin comes out clean.
6. Place the muffin tin on a cooling rack to cool. If you have leftover muffins, store them, covered, at room temperature for two days, or in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Freeze leftover muffins for up to 3 months.