Apple Carrot Muffins with Grated Apple and Carrot
These muffins use grated apple and grated carrot for extra moisture and natural sweetness. No mixer, one bowl, and ready in 30 minutes.
I made these muffins first time like maybe 8 years ago for this woman she ran a daycare and she said “I need something healthy but the kids can’t tell its healthy” you know the type. Anyway I threw stuff together and it worked. Now I make them all the time for brunch catering because you can prep everything night before and just mix in the morning when you’re still half asleep and coffee hasn’t kicked in yet
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First thing and I’m serious do not use those bagged shredded carrots. I don’t care how busy you are. those things are dry like it. They shred it then they wash it then they dry it then it sits in a bag for weeks you grate it yourself box grater coarse side and here’s where people mess up they grate the carrot and then they SQUEEZE it. Like with paper towels why would you do that, that liquid is the whole reason carrot is in the muffin. You squeeze it out you might as well use cardboard
Same with the apple grate it leave the skin on nobody ever notices the skin i promise you. Use honey crisp or fuji. Not granny smith Granny smith is too tart and too dry for this
Ingredients. Flour one and half cups but here the thing – spoon it into the cup. Don’t scoop, scooping packs it and then your muffins come out dense like little door stops. Baking powder one teaspoon baking soda half teaspoon cinnamon one teaspoon. but if your cinnamon has been sitting there for like a year add more because old cinnamon tastes like dust like literally no flavor. I made that mistake once. Bland muffins. Sad day. Salt half teaspoon regular salt. Eggs two room temp. If you forget like i always do just put them in warm water for five minutes. Brown sugar half cup – pack it with your fingers. Unsweetened applesauce half cup – read the label make sure it’s not sweetened. Vegetable oil quarter cup. Vanilla one teaspoon milk half cup – whole milk or oat milk. Not skim Skim milk is just water lying
Grated apple one cup (one medium apple). Grated carrot three quarter cup (one large carrot) and optional half cup walnuts or raisins. I usually skip raisins because every time i put raisins in something somebody complains “I don’t like raisins” okay fine
Oven to 350. Line muffin tin with paper liners and do this small thing – grease the top of the tin. The flat part around each hole. Because batter always spills over a little and that burnt crust is hell to scrub later just do it
Two bowls
Big bowl – flour baking powder baking soda cinnamon salt. Whisk it. Fifteen seconds. Don’t overthink it
Second bowl – eggs and brown sugar beat with fork until sugar starts to dissolve. Like 45 seconds then add applesauce oil vanilla milk Stir lumps are fine I don’t care about lumps
Pour wet into dry fold with rubber spatula and here’s where everybody panics they look at the batter and say “this is too dry” and they want to add more milk. DON’T the apple and carrot are not in yet. They will add moisture
So add the apple and carrot. And nuts if using then fold count to eight eight folds. Ten max stop the batter will suddenly loosen up that’s the juice coming out
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If you keep folding – like twenty times – the gluten wakes up and your muffins will be rubbery. i have done it you will do it once and then you will never do it again
Fill the muffin cups three quarters full bake middle rack 18 minutes. Then toothpick test, if wet batter comes out give it 2 more minutes. If a few moist crumbs come out take them out. If toothpick comes out completely clean you overbaked but it’s still fine just a little dry
Cool in pan 5 minutes then move to wire rack. If you leave them in the hot pan longer the liners get sweaty and peel off ugly
Here’s a trick I learned from dropping a whole batch once. Before you add the apple and carrot to the batter toss them in a small bowl with one tablespoon of the flour mix Just sprinkle and toss with your fingers. that little bit of flour coats the shreds so they don’t all sink to the bottom every bite gets some apple and carrot not just the top half
if you mess up – muffins rubbery? Slice them in half and toast them add butter problem solved
Tops burnt but middle raw? Your oven is lying to you. Get a thermometer for now cover with foil after 12 minutes and finish baking
to double the recipe for a party use two separate bowls don’t try to double in one big bowl it won’t mix right bake both pans together but time will drop to about 16 minutes because oven is crowded rotate pans halfway
To make ahead – bake them cool completely put in airtight container on counter. NOT in the fridge. Fridge makes muffins stale faster I don’t know why but it does. Next day warm in 300 oven for 4 minutes
