Carrot Cake Muffins with Cream Cheese Filling
You won’t be able to stop eating these amazing carrot cake muffins with cream cheese filling – and the crispy sugar on top is an absolute must!
In The Raw® sweeteners asked me to come up with an Easter-inspired recipe using their new Sugar In The Raw Organic White® and my mind almost immediately went to carrot cake.
My mom and I brainstormed recipes for awhile. I mean, we brainstormed a lot of recipes. Some of hers I immediately shot down, and some of mine she immediately dismissed. We had a few ideas that were almost perfect, but not quite right.
Finally we settled on these carrot cake muffins with cream cheese filling. Something about carrot cake just reminds us of Easter — maybe it’s because the Easter bunny loves to eat those carrots!
These carrot cake muffins would be a perfect breakfast before you head off to church, or they’d be great on the lunch table. Or with your afternoon cup of coffee.
And of course, the best thing about carrot cake is the cream cheese FROSTING! We put “frosting” in the middle of the muffin instead of on top for a hidden surprise. Kind of like the little plastic Easter eggs with a hidden treat, the cream cheese filling is a creamy sweet treat hidden in the center of your muffin. Perfect!
Instead of grating raw carrots which can sometimes lead to a stringy, half cooked carrot, I cooked the carrots and smashed them. If you have leftover cooked carrots from dinner, these muffins would be a delicious way to use them.
Mash the cooked carrots so you still get small pieces of carrots throughout the muffins but you’re not left with huge chunks or icky strings.
Also starring in these muffins are currants instead of raisins. Smaller in size than raisins, they give a perfect bite of sweetness without overwhelming everything with their flavor. However, if you prefer raisins, either regular or golden will be just fine.
The great thing about Sugar In The Raw Organic White is that it is perfect for baking. So perfect and versatile that I was able to use it in the muffin batter, the cream cheese filling AND the irresistible crunchy sugar topping.
Seriously, I want to make these muffins on a weekly basis.
Make them for Easter — pretty please? You won’t be disappointed!
More fabulous muffin recipes:
Carrot Cake Muffins with Cream Cheese Filling
You won’t be able to stop eating these amazing carrot cake muffins with cream cheese filling – and the crispy sugar on top is an absolute must!
Ingredients
for the muffins:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup Sugar In The Raw Organic White® organic cane sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup currants
- 2 cups diced cooked carrots
- 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1/4 cup canola oil
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- 2 egg whites
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
for the filling:
- 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup Sugar In The Raw Organic White organic cane sugar
- Extra sugar for sprinkling on top
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Spray muffin tins well with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a medium bowl, mix together flour, 3/4 cup Sugar In The Raw Organic White® organic cane sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, salt and currants.
- In a large bowl, mash carrots using a potato masher or fork – mash until no large chunks remain. Add applesauce, canola oil, eggs, egg whites, and vanilla extract. Stir until combined.
- Add dry ingredients and stir until just combined.
- Fill muffin tins 1/3 of the way full with muffin mixture. Drop 1 tablespoon of cream cheese mixture into middle of each muffin. Top with remaining muffin batter. Sprinkle with sugar.
- Bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool for 3-4 minutes in muffin tin before removing to a rack to cool completely. Serve warm or store in fridge in a covered container.
Notes
- Great way to use leftover carrots!
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 18 Serving Size: 1 muffinAmount Per Serving: Calories: 161Total Fat: 5gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 33mgSodium: 256mgCarbohydrates: 27gFiber: 1gSugar: 15gProtein: 4g
Husband’s take: Ben loved these. E & N LOVED these. My parents loved these. They got 5 stars allllll around.
Changes I would make: None!
Difficulty: Easy
Sugar In The Raw Organic White® is from the maker of Sugar In The Raw® and is part of the In The Raw® family of sweeteners, which also includes zero-calorie Stevia In The Raw® and Monk Fruit In The Raw®, and Agave In The Raw®.
You can find out more about In The Raw on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube, and on their website. Find out where to buy Sugar In The Raw Organic White® using their store locator.
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of In The Raw via Burst Media. The opinions and text are all mine.
11 Comments on “Carrot Cake Muffins with Cream Cheese Filling”
Made these up last night. Didn’t have apple juice so I used buttermilk instead (don’t ask how I made that leap but it worked. Very good texture and consistency. I wI’ll most certainly be making them again :)
So glad to hear it worked out with buttermilk! Smart substitution. Thanks for taking the time to come back and leave a comment!
I made these lucious muffins with gluten free all purpose mix and they were delicious my daughter and I are both gluten free
So happy to hear that!
I guess I wasn’t clear do you beat the 2 egg whites before adding to mixture
Ahh, I see! I’ll always specify if that’s the case. Just throw them in the way they are :)
What do I do either the 2 egg whites the receipt is not clear about that in the carrot cake muffins
Sorry that was unclear! You add them in with the whole eggs. I clarified the recipe a bit to help. Thanks for the feedback!
yum
Love the cardamom in these! Carrot cake is just one of those classic flavors that will never get old, especially in spring time. And cream cheese stuffage is ALWAYS a good idea :) :)
Dear Rachel, These carrot cake muffins are a must. I would love this in the morning. xo, Catherine