Yummy Carrot Cake Muffins

Doesn't that look yummy?

Yesterday, I made the most delicious carrot cake muffins (if I do say so myself) with a maple butter cream cheese frosting. Today, I am thankful that I work with people who will help me eat the things that I make. Overall, these were very easy to make. Grating the carrots was the process that took the longest and even that wasn't bad. You may notice that I labelled these for dessert and for breakfast. I came to the conclusion that due to the carrots, these are really good for you and are, therefore, fine to have for breakfast. Before starting, I researched a bunch of recipes and ended up making up my own with input from a few of them.

Carrot Cake Muffins with Maple Butter Cream Cheese Frosting - makes 12 muffins

1 cup all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 cup brown sugar (I used light)

1/2 cup granulated sugar

7 ounces canola or vegetable oil (equals 1/2 cup + 1/8 cup)

2 eggs

1 1/2 cups grated peeled carrots

1/2 cup pecans, chopped coarsely

Preheat over to 350 degrees. Line a 12 muffin tin with papers or spray with non-stick spray. Mix together flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger in a medium bowl. In a larger bowl, mix brown sugar, granulated sugar and oil until well blended. Whisk in eggs 1 at a time. Add the flour mixture and stir until blended. Stir in carrots and pecans. Divide batter among muffin cups. Bake muffins at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until a tester comes out clean. Let cool until you can handle them, then transfer to a cooling rack. Let cool completely before frosting them.

Maple Butter Cream Cheese Frosting

8 ounces cream cheese, softened

4 Tablespoons butter, softened

2 Tablespoons maple syrup

1 cup confectioners sugar

Beat the cream cheese, butter and maple syrup until smooth and creamy. Add the confectioners sugar and beat until incorporated. Chill for about 15 minutes, until it has firmed up enough to spread easily. Frost the muffins. Consume.