With sincere confidence, these are the best carrot cake mini muffins around town. They have 2 secret ingredients: 2 types of raisins and crushed pineapple. Yup, there is crushed pineapple in these delicious little bites of delight! Gluten-free, no problem! Dairy-free, no problem! Nut-free, optional! Grain-free, yup that’s right, no problem! This recipe can be adapted to the way of eating that jives with you! These carrot cake muffins contain only a small portion of sugar and are primarily sweetened with fruit! How can this get any better?!
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Bon Appetit!
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
2 cups flour (any preferred flour; I used 1 cup whole wheat and 1 cup white flour)
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
Wet Ingredients
2 eggs
1/2 cup of maple syrup
1/4 cup oil (based on your preference)
1/4 cup almond greek yogurt (can use other non-dairy yogurts or milk)
1 can crushed pineapple of which, will use 1/2 cup of the pineapple juice
1 tsp vanilla
Mix-in Ingredients
2.5 cups grated carrots (about 4-5 carrots)
1/2 cup crushed pineapple
1/2 cup pecans, chopped (optional)
1/4 cup golden raisins
1/4 cup raisins
Instructions
Step 1:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray your mini muffin tin with cooking spray or line with muffin tins. With a can opener, open the crushed pineapple. Pour the can of crushed pineapple into a sieve with a bowl below to catch the juice. Lightly press on the crushed pineapple to removed some of the extra juices. In a food processor or by hand, shred enough carrots to provide 2 cups. Set aside in a bowl.
Step 2:
In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.
Step 3:
In a medium-size bowl, whisk together 2 eggs, maple syrup, oil, almond greek yogurt, 1/2 cup pineapple juice, and vanilla.
Step 4:
Pour the wet ingredients into the flour mixture. Mix until just combined. Then fold in the shredded carrots, raisins, 1/2 cup crushed pineapple, and pecans.
Step 5:
With a 1.5tbsp ice cream scooper, scoop the batter into the mini muffin tin. Bake for 15-18 minutes or until golden brown. Once fully cooked, take mini muffins out of the tin and place on a rack to cool.
Notes
Prepare all the ingredients in advance. Things can get messy quickly. I like to prepare and measure out everything into bowls. It may be more clean up, but it sure does support organization and ease throughout the baking process. Almond Greek yogurt can be substituted for other non-dairy yogurt or milk in the batter. You don’t have to use oil, either. Just use 1/2 cup of the yogurt instead. You will not require the whole can of crushed pineapple. The leftovers will make for great piña colas 😉 Or is enough to make another batch of these delightful little bites.
