In recent weeks, as my co-workers also began to hunker down—with ever richer foods—I realized my new dietary habits had taken me from frequent treat-pusher to (mostly) treat-prude. I dare not let my baking triumphs fall into memory, so I set out to create a treat that could satisfy the many desires at play: sweetness, comfort, richness and healthfulness to name a few. I settled on whole wheat carrot mini-muffins, with golden raisins and almonds to compliment the carrots' natural sweetness.
Hearty carrot and raisin mini-muffins
These delicious (and healthy) whole grain muffins make great, filling snacks
Ingredients:
1 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
3 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 pound carrots, peeled and grated (about 3 1/2 cups)
1 1/2 cups golden raisins
2 cups whole grain, stone ground wheat flour
1/4 cup flax meal
1/4 cup wheat germ
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup slivered almonds, coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon warm water
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and lightly grease two mini-muffin pans. In a large mixing bowl, cream together the brown sugar and butter until light and evenly combined. Add the applesauce and vanilla extract, followed by the eggs, adding them one at a time. Fold in the carrots and raisins until evenly distributed.
Combine the flour, flax meal, wheat germ, baking powder, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, 2 teaspoons of the cinnamon and 1 teaspoon of the ginger in a large bowl. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture in 1/2 cup increments, and mix until a thick, uniform batter comes together.
Dissolve the honey in the warm water and pour over the almonds and the remaining 1/2 teaspoons of cinnamon and ginger in a small mixing bowl. Stir until an even, slightly sticky mixture forms. Using two tablespoons or a medium cookie scoop, add about 1 1/2 tablespoons of the batter to each well of the muffin pans. Evenly distribute the almond mixture over the tops of the muffins, about 1/2 teaspoon per muffin.
Bake for 15 minutes, or until the muffins are firm and the almonds begin to brown. Makes about 40 mini-muffins.
FYI:
In addition to creating a delicious viable recipe, I also sought to calculate some approximate nutritional values for the muffins based on the values of their individual components. The result was a moist, not-to-sweet mini-muffin with approximately 4.5 grams (mono- and polyunsaturated) fat, 116 calories, 2.2 grams of fiber and 2.5 grams of protein.
Don't sweat the butter too much. During my experimentation process, I discovered the butter was actually significantly less-bad-for-you than vegetable oil. I even substituted half of the fat with more applesauce, which seemed to boost the moisture significantly with no detrimental effects on the muffins. Besides, there's even some research out there that suggests a little butter may help your body absorb important nutrients from vegetables like carrots.
As for the wheat flour skeptics out there, these mini-muffins are dense, but they're not mealy or otherwise texturally offensive. A little extra leavening (included above) assures these babies rise beautifully every time. I've also tried these with 2 cups of canned pumpkin instead of the carrots—and walnuts instead of almonds—and they're just as wholesome and just as comforting.
You might be wondering why I decided mini-muffins were the way to go as opposed to their full-sized brethren. Aside from their convenient and nutritionally-effective snack size, I had pop culture to contend with. With innuendo, euphemism and satire courtesy of Lady Gaga and the resurgent Betty White (love her!), I decided it would be less awkward to hype mini-muffins to my co-workers, friends and family.
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