These low sugar carrot spice muffins are naturally sweetened with carrots and applesauce, and delicately spiced with cinnamon.


Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Yield: 12 muffins

Mildly Sweet Recipe

Ingredients:

2 cups whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large carrots, peeled and grated (1 1/2 cups)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 425 F. Grease a muffin pan or line with paper liners.


2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.


3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, buttermilk, applesauce, oil and vanilla until blended.


4. Add the wet ingredients to the flour mixture and using a spatula, mix just until blended. Fold in the carrots until evenly distributed. Do not overmix.


5. Spoon the batter into the muffin cups and bake for approximately 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the centre of a muffin comes out clean.


6. Let muffins cool for 5 minutes in the pan and then remove from pan and cool on wire rack.

Sweeter Option

For a sweeter muffin, replace the 3/4 cup of unsweetened applesauce in the Mildly Sweet recipe above with 1/4 cup sugar. Whisk the sugar in with the eggs, buttermilk, oil and vanilla in step 3. Omit the unsweetened applesauce.

If you would like to experiment with other sweeteners, see About Sweeteners for more information and nutrition facts on honey, maple syrup, stevia and other sweeteners.

Note:
Most of the recipes on Sweet Smart are adapted from my favourite cookbooks and websites. The Sweeter Option usually calls for about 1/4 to 1/2 of the sugar used in the original recipe.

Adapted from: Carrot Muffin from Muffins and More (Company's Coming).