Besides the sugar-free blueberry muffins I bake regularly, there's nothing cake-like in my world because it's really not worth the havoc it wrecks on my body. But I can't pretend I don't miss cake. Especially carrot cake!
So when this amazing @sonjamk carrot cuffins recipe popped up via Levels, I paid attention. As I skimmed the ingredients, I was pretty sure it was going to be a winner, but checked it in the ZOE app to be sure and voila! These muffins get an 86 (my goal is to eat meals that get a score of 75 or higher).
Here's how these muffins score for me and I have very poor blood-glucose control (my story here). And yes, that's actual maple syrup in the recipe:
Called "Cuffins" in Sonja's original recipe (because they are cake-like) I had high hopes for these little things: I really wanted them to be carrot CAKE. And guess what? I think they are, even without icing. I'm going to give you the ingredients for Sonja's cashew icing/frosting below, but I can't handle cashews so I didn't bother with any frosting.
What I did try was eating them with full-fat Greek yoghurt. Oh man... so good. And if you eat one of these muffins with just half a cup of Greek yogurt, you get yourself over 18 grams of protein into the bargain.
Let's get into the recipe.
You need a couple of mixing bowls and a standard 12-cup muffin/cupcake tray.
Combine the dry ingredients in one bowl, the wet ingredients in another. Then grate the carrots and chop the walnuts (or whatever nuts you generally prefer in a carrot cake).
Add the carrots and walnuts to the wet ingredients then slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until well combined.
The muffin cups should be close to full, then pop them in the oven for about 20 mins.
They're done when they're golden and a toothpick inserted into the middle of a muffin comes out clean.
Pop them out onto a cooling tray for at least 10 mins before serving.
These muffins can be stored in the freezer for up to 6 months so do yourself a favor and bake a double batch!
HOW TO MAKE GLUCOSE-FRIENDLY CARROT MUFFINS
INGREDIENTS
- 2 cups of almond flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 eggs (I haven't tried a vegan substitute but I bet it would work fine)
- 1/4 cup of olive oil
- 2 tablespoons of almond butter
- 2 tablespoons of maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 and a half cups of shredded carrots
- 1/2 a cup of chopped walnuts (or whatever nut you prefer)
- Optional: 1 scoop of vanilla protein powder
Cashew cream frosting (optional)
- 2 cups of raw cashews, soaked
- 3/4 cup unsweetened coconut cream OR cream cheese
- 2 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1/8 teaspoon sea salt
STEP BY STEP
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Prepare a 12-cup nonstick/silicon pan with either olive oil or baking spray. Or use silicon cupcake liners.
- Mix dry ingredients (almond flour → salt) in one bowl and wet ingredients (eggs → vanilla) in another larger bowl. Stir each well.
- Add the grated carrots and chopped walnuts to the wet ingredients.
- Slowly add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredient bowl and stir until well combined.
- Divide batter evenly among the 12 cups - each cup should be full.
- Bake for ~20 minutes. Check before you take them out of the oven; temperatures may vary by oven and you want the center to be moist but not jiggly.
- Let the muffins cool on a wire rack for 10 mins before serving. Leftover muffins can be stored in the fridge for up to 2 days and in the freezer for up to 6 months.
How to make Cashew Creme frosting:
- A key step is soaking the cashews for 4 hours or for a quick option, in boiling water for 20 minutes.
- Then, in a high-speed blender or food processor, blend all the ingredients together until thick and creamy.
Remember to let the carrot muffins fully cool before adding the frosting, otherwise the frosting will slide off.