Carrot Cake Muffins

Listen, you are an adult now and that means you get to make your own rules. Like having dessert for breakfast…. carrot cake for breakfast!

Carrot Cake Muffins are muffins loaded with carrots and stuffed with cream cheese frosting. Perfect for breakfast, brunch or a snack. Also freezer-friendly!  #carrotcakemuffins www.savoryexperiments.com


 

But since these are technically “muffins” you aren’t even breaking that rule. Sneaky, sneaky.

Carrot Cake Muffins are muffins loaded with carrots and stuffed with cream cheese frosting. Perfect for breakfast, brunch or a snack. Also freezer-friendly!  #carrotcakemuffins www.savoryexperiments.com

I didn’t like carrot cake until I was an adult. Even now, I think I like the cream cheese frosting more than I like the actual cake. I try to rationalize that it is “healthy” cake because it is packed with carrots that are good for my peepers. Right?

For some reason, I like Carrot Cake Muffins more than the actual cake. For my muffins, I wanted to make sure there was a distinct layers of carrot cake batter, cheesecake mix and walnut streusel (usually carrot cakes are topped with chopped walnuts).

Instead of swirling them together, I let them bake up in their individual forms, melding as nature intended.

Carrot Cake Muffins are muffins loaded with carrots and stuffed with cream cheese frosting. Perfect for breakfast, brunch or a snack. Also freezer-friendly!  #carrotcakemuffins www.savoryexperiments.com

My mini food processor is perfect for the carrots, I chop them coarsely and pulse the crap out of them. There is nothing worse than getting a long string of carrot in your mouth.

You can also use the finest, small setting on a box grater, but I don’t have time for that jazz!

Carrot Cake Muffins are muffins loaded with carrots and stuffed with cream cheese frosting. Perfect for breakfast, brunch or a snack. Also freezer-friendly!  #carrotcakemuffins www.savoryexperiments.com

Don’t even get me started on the streusel topping. All muffins should have a sugary crust and these have a sugary crust with walnuts.

Don’t like walnuts? Use pecans or almond! Don’t like nuts at all? Just omit them altogether!

Carrot Cake Muffins are muffins loaded with carrots and stuffed with cream cheese frosting. Perfect for breakfast, brunch or a snack. Also freezer-friendly!  #carrotcakemuffins www.savoryexperiments.com

Carrot Cake Muffins can be made ahead and are also freezer friendly. Wrap them up nice in an airtight plastic bag and they will be good for about a month. Perfect for any weekend brunch and especially Easter brunch. I even like pairing them with Orange Breakfast Muffins.

Carrot Cake Muffins are muffins loaded with carrots and stuffed with cream cheese frosting. Perfect for breakfast, brunch or a snack. Also freezer-friendly!  #carrotcakemuffins www.savoryexperiments.com

If you liked this muffin recipe, check out my others:

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Carrot Cake Muffins

4.50 from 12 votes
Carrot Cake Muffins are muffins loaded with carrots and stuffed with cream cheese frosting. Perfect for breakfast, brunch or a snack. Also freezer-friendly! 
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Servings: 24 muffins

Ingredients

Carrot Cake Muffins:

CHEESECAKE FILLING:

WALNUT STREUSEL TOPPING:

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 24 muffin tins with fun cupcake liners.
  • Sift together flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, ginger, cinnamon and nutmeg in a mixing bowl, set aside.
  • In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer, blend melted butter, milk and egg.
  • Slowly add dry ingredients to the batter. Do not over mix. Stop when it is combined, but there are still small lumps.
  • Fold in finely grated carrots.
  • Evenly spoon batter into cupcake liners. It will be approximately 1 heaping tablespoon.
  • In another small bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth.
  • Add egg yolk, vanilla and sugar, blending until smooth.
  • Place a dollop of cream cheese batter in the center of the carrot cake batter.
  • In another small bowl, mix together walnut streusel topping, walnuts, brown sugar and flour, breaking up any pieces of brown sugar.
  • Bake for 25 minutes. Times may vary based on oven and how much you filled those cups (I know a few of you took some chances and filled them to the brim, didn’t you??). Muffin tops will spring back to the touch.
  • Remove and allow to cool.
  • If you’ve tried this recipe, come back and let us know how it was!

Nutrition

Calories: 152 kcal, Carbohydrates: 18 g, Protein: 2 g, Fat: 7 g, Saturated Fat: 4 g, Cholesterol: 33 mg, Sodium: 132 mg, Potassium: 101 mg, Sugar: 9 g, Vitamin A: 1365 IU, Vitamin C: 0.4 mg, Calcium: 42 mg, Iron: 0.7 mg
Author: Chef Jessica Anne
Calories: 152
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Keyword: carrot cake muffins
Did you make this recipe?I’d love to see your recipes – snap a picture and mention @savoryexperiments or tag #savoryexperiments!
Carrot Cake Muffins are muffins loaded with carrots and stuffed with cream cheese frosting. Perfect for breakfast, brunch or a snack. Also freezer-friendly!  #carrotcakemuffins www.savoryexperiments.com
Jessica Formicola in her ktichen

About the Author

Chef Jessica Anne Formicola

Jessica the mom, wife and chef behind Savory Experiments. You might see her on the Emmy- nominated TV show Plate It! or on bookshelves as a cookbook author. Jessica is a Le Cordon Bleu certified recipe developer and regularly contributed to Parade, Better Homes & Gardens, The Daily Meal, Mashed and more!

Read More About Jessica

4.50 from 12 votes (6 ratings without comment)

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Questions and Reviews

  1. 5 stars
    Yummy! I think carrot cake is way to conduct a good way to eat cream cheese frosting! The same for Italian Creme Cake. Nuts – no nut it doesn’t matter to me. I love the idea of carrot cake for breakfast. I don’t even eat breakfast and I’ll make these to take to work so I can eat just 1!
    Wishes for tasty dishes, Linda

  2. 5 stars
    I LOVE dessert for breakfast, and how could you not feel good about it with a healthy vegetable involved!? YUM!

  3. 5 stars
    I love carrot cake. I especially love these muffins because I can attempt to apply self control. Thanks for the recipe