Carrot Cake Muffins {Sugar-free!}

Let me introduce you to one of the ways that Abby will eat her vegetables: in some sort of baked good. I've done this with zucchini, but as it isn't really in season, I wanted something I could make now. I found this recipe and modified it slightly.

Healthy Carrot Cake Muffins

1 ½ C Whole Wheat flour

1 t baking soda

1 t baking powder

¼ t salt

1 T cinnamon (I also added about ½ t nutmeg)

1 C wheat germ

1 1/3 C milk

1/3 C olive oil (you could substitute with applesauce too)

2 eggs

1 t vanilla

2 C grated carrots (about 3-5)

1 ripe banana

Raisins
*I added ½ C of oats too

*If your husband decides that a recipe for muffins with no sugar is too unbearable, you may add ¼- ½ C of brown sugar.

-Preheat oven to 350. Line and spray muffin pan. Mix flour, soda, powder, salt, cinnamon (and nutmeg and oats) in a large bowl. These are your dry ingredients. Set aside. Beat in another bowl wheat germ, milk, oil, and eggs. Let sit for 5 minutes. These are your wet ingredients. In yet another bowl, mash banana and vanilla together. Stir in grated carrot. These are the filling ingredients.

-Pour filling mixture onto the wet ingredients and stir. Pour that mixture over the dry ingredients. Don’t over-stir. Fold in raisins.

-Evenly spoon into muffin pan, having the batter almost reach the top. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until light brown and a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool for 2 minutes, then remove and transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.

 

Yield: 22-24 muffuns.

Calories per muffin: 105

I had to make a few modifications based on what I had on hand. I didn’t have 1 whole cup of wheat germ, I only had about 2 T. (1 C of wheat germ is 400 calories- I don't know if I'll ever use the entire cup!)
The original recipe that I modified this from called for 1T each of flax seed and chia seeds, and I didn't have those, but I liked the idea of texture, so I added ½ C of oats- added to the dry ingredients. I used vegetable oil instead of olive oil, however next time I think I’ll just use applesauce. (The oil alone was 640 calories! Made with applesauce instead, each muffin would only be 76 calories each!)
Also, we are not a very raisin-friendly household, so I didn’t have any on hand. I don’t mind them in baked goods, but I didn’t have them today. I think Abby likes them, and it’s a good toddler snack, so next time I want to use them too. Otherwise, I made them as is. I only got 22 muffins, but if not filled so full, and probably with raisins, they might make 24.

If you omit the raisins, they are 94 calories per muffin.

Made with my modifications, each muffin comes to 84 calories per muffin.

If your husband has a hissy fit and you decide to add ½ C of brown sugar, they will come out to be 113 calories per muffin.

Final verdict: They are great! Abby approved. I ended up mixing the second half of my batter with some brown sugar, and those were even better than the no sugar ones (I know, you're shocked.)  Imagine these warm out of the oven with some butter, or better yet, some almond butter. Mmmmmm.