This carrot cake muffins recipe is a showstopper! The muffins are moist and spiced, topped with a tangy cream cheese drizzle.

Right here’s a muffin recipe you want in your arsenal: carrot cake muffins! These are fantastically moist and spiced, with cozy spices interspersed with pecans and vivid strands of carrots. Add a tangy cream cheese glaze to brighten the tops, and it takes them into rockstar territory! This recipe is ideal within the spring, however we prefer it anytime of yr: it’s a success with family and friends alike!
Substances on this carrot cake muffins recipe
This carrot cake muffins recipe takes all the pieces you want concerning the well-liked cake and boils it down into muffins. They’re calmly candy in order that they’re not too heavy, and drizzled with only a little bit of cream cheese icing (as a substitute of the same old beneficiant layers). There’s nothing higher than an ideal muffin, and this one satisfies each little bit of a muffin craving. Right here’s what you’ll want:
- All objective flour
- Brown sugar and granulated sugar
- Cinnamon, cloves, allspice and nutmeg
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Pecans (or raisins)
- Eggs
- Applesauce
- Vegetable oil
- Vanilla extract
- Carrots
Just a few ingredient notes: the applesauce within the muffins retains them fantastically moist with out utilizing extra oil. In the event you love nuts, pecans are the right mix-in! You possibly can swap them out for raisins, or you are able to do each (if you happen to’re a fan of raisins in carrot cake).

For the cream cheese glaze
The very best a part of these carrot cake muffins? The cream cheese glaze! This glaze is a play on our powdered sugar icing, however utilizing cream cheese as a substitute. Seems, softened and warmed cream cheese makes a wonderful glaze. Listed here are a number of ideas to bear in mind:
- Warmth the cream cheese. Right here you’ll wish to warmth it in order that it turns into very tender and simple to stir. We did it within the microwave, however you too can use a small saucepan and use medium low warmth on the stovetop.
- Modify the powdered sugar and/or milk in very small portions. The purpose is a drizzle-able glaze. Powdered sugar can have some variability whenever you measure it, so you possibly can add a little bit extra if the icing is simply too skinny. Add a bit extra milk if the icing is simply too thick.
- Use a fork for drizzling. The easiest way to drizzle icing on muffins? Use a fork, not a spoon! It makes the most effective strains because it drizzles off of the tines of the fork.

Combine-ins and variations
Love an ideal carrot cake? There are a great deal of variations on carrot cake, and you may work them into these muffins simply. Listed here are a number of extra concepts:
- Raisins: use ½ cup as famous above
- Walnuts: use chopped walnuts as a substitute of pecans
- Coconut: add ¼ to ½ cup sweetened shredded coconut
- Pineapple: add ½ cup chopped canned pineapple rather than ½ cup of the shredded carrots
- White chocolate chips: Add one other candy layer with chips
Carrot cake muffins storage
These carrot cake muffins are so scrumptious, you’ll wish to eat all of them the day of baking! However this makes a batch of 12, which might be greater than you’ll want. Listed here are a number of notes on storing leftovers:
- The muffins final finest uniced. If making the muffins upfront, retailer them un-iced and refrigerated; add the drizzle immediately earlier than serving.
- Retailer with a paper towel within the container. The muffins final at room temperature in a sealed container lined with a paper towel to soak up further moisture, about 2 days if iced or 4 days if un-iced. The glaze turns into tender throughout storage, but it surely holds its form.
- Retailer refrigerated for as much as 1 week or extra. Enable to come back to room temperature earlier than serving. Once more, the glaze turns into softer throughout storage however holds up.
- You can too freeze the muffins with out the glaze. They last as long as 3 months frozen.

Extra carrot recipes
This carrot cake muffins recipe is ideal for spring, Easter, or Mom’s Day brunch, but it surely additionally works any time of yr. Love making recipes with this orange vegetable? Listed here are some concepts for carrot recipes:
This carrot cake muffins recipe is…
Vegetarian.
Description
This carrot cake muffins recipe is a showstopper! The muffins are moist and spiced, topped with a tangy cream cheese drizzle.
For the muffins
- 1 ¾ cups [245 g] all-purpose flour
- ½ cup [100 g] mild brown sugar
- ⅓ cup [67 g] granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon cloves
- ½ teaspoon allspice
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup chopped pecans (or raisins)*
- 2 eggs
- 2/3 cup applesauce
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil
- ½ tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups peeled and grated carrots (4 to five medium)
For the glaze
- 3 tablespoons cream cheese
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon milk
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Spray a typical 12-cup muffin tin with cooking spray or add muffin cup papers.
- In a big bowl, whisk the flour, mild brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon, cloves, allspice, nutmeg, baking powder, and kosher salt. Stir within the chopped pecans.
- In a separate medium bowl, whisk the eggs, then whisk within the apple sauce, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract till easy. Stir within the carrots with a spatula. Add the dry elements into the moist elements and blend with a spatula till a thick, easy batter kinds.
- Scoop the batter evenly into the muffin cups: the cups can be full to the highest.
- Bake the muffins for 23 to 25 minutes, till puffed and golden and a toothpick comes out clear. Cool for five minutes within the pan, then switch to a rack to chill totally, about 1 hour.
- To make the glaze, place the cream cheese in a glass measuring cup or bowl and microwave for about 20 seconds till heat (alternatively, heat it in a small saucepan over medium low warmth on the stovetop). Stir within the powdered sugar and milk and blend till a drizzlable glaze kinds. Use a fork to drizzle it over the muffins. (If making the muffins upfront, retailer them un-iced and refrigerated; add the drizzle immediately earlier than serving.)
- Eat the muffins instantly. Or, retailer at room temperature in a sealed container lined with a paper towel to soak up further moisture, about 2 days if iced or 4 days if un-iced. Retailer refrigerated for as much as 1 week or extra (permit to come back to room temperature earlier than serving). The glaze turns into tender throughout storage, but it surely holds its form. You can too retailer frozen with out glaze for as much as 3 months.
Notes
*In the event you love raisins in a carrot cake, you need to use them as a substitute of pecans: or use ½ cup of each!
- Class: Muffins
- Methodology: Baked
- Delicacies: American
- Weight loss program: Vegetarian
Key phrases: Carrot cake muffins, carrot cake muffins recipe, carrots muffin cake recipe

