Everything is coming up...Carrots!

Happy Tuesday.  Every where I look, I've been seeing carrots, yep, as in Bugs Bunny food.  Well, maybe it's because it's almost Easter and carrots are posted on Facebook, Blogs, Pinterest and other social media.  I've seen them stenciled, painted, stitched, felted, as wood cut-outs, and of course, in recipes.

My favorite thing to make with these tubulars are.....carrot cake muffins.  I've used a wonderful carrot cake recipe from a Betty Crocker cookbook that is now a vintage cookbook... I can't believe it....it's vintage.  This book was my first cookbook, it just can't be that old.  Anyway, I tweaked this recipe quite a bit both ingredient and style wise through the years to make it into a recipe that we enjoy the most.

Carrot Cake Muffins

1 1/2 cup of carrots finely shredded

1 1/4 cup of sugar

2 cups of flour

1 teaspoon of salt

1 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda

1/2 cup of sour cream

1 teaspoon of  cinnamon

1 teaspoon of nutmeg

1 teaspoon of cloves

1/2 cup of vegetable oil

3 eggs

1 teaspoon of vanilla

1 cup of chopped nuts

2/3 cup of crushed pineapple.  

1/3 cup of the juice from the crushed pineapple

1/2 cup of shredded coconut (optional)

3/4 cup of raisins

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease and flour muffin tins or use pre-made muffin liners, like I do.  

I mix everything by hand rather than using a mixer.  

Mix eggs, sugar, sour cream vegetable oil, pineapple juice and vanilla together.  In a separate bowl (or use a gallon sized baggie) combine the flour, salt, soda and spices together.  Blend into wet mixture.  Stir in pineapple, nuts, coconut and raisins. Finally, add and stir in the shredded carrots. 

Fill cups 3/4 full with the mixture.  Bake for 20 minutes or until muffins are done.  If you're not sure the muffins are done, use the time honored tooth pick test.  Insert the toothpick and remove, if the toothpick is clean...muffins are done.  

These are great without frosting but....frosting is, after all, the icing on the cake!

Cream Cheese Frosting

1 stick of butter

8 ounces of cream cheese

3 cups of powdered sugar

1 teaspoon of vanilla

Cream the butter and cream cheese with a mixer.  Add vanilla.  Add powdered sugar 1 cup at a time. Mix until smooth. 

This is our all time favorite carrot recipe.  

Create...Inspire...Share...Believe

~willa~