Cream Cheese Carrot Muffins

Hey there– When I was up staying with Ani & Brian in San Francisco, she had a few of these muffins leftover in the kitchen and we happily downed them with mugs of steaming tea.  It’s like that old favorite carrot cake reduced down to a tidy little muffin.  Spicy and sweet, they make the kitchen smell delectable while they are baking.

CREAM CHEESE CARROT MUFFINS

Carrot layer:
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup canola oil
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups grated carrots (2 0r 3 carrots)
1 cup flour
1 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice (or cinnamon)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (0r pecans)

Stir together the sugar, oil, eggs and carrots,  Then add in the flour, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice and walnuts.  Spoon it all into standard cupcake tins lined with paper wrappers (makes 16)  Add the cream cheese layer before you bake.

Cream cheese layer:
8 oz. cream cheese
1/3 cup sugar
2 tab. flour
3/4 tsp. vanilla
1/4 cup butter (4 tab.)

With an electric mixer blend the cream cheese and sugar.  Then mix in the flour, vanilla and butter.  Spoon this over the 16 unbaked carrot cupcakes.  Pop them in the oven for 25 to 30 minutes at 350 degrees until the topping just starts to brown a bit and the muffins are firm to the touch.

Thanks Ani for the tea and the recipe!

About these ads