Pinch ground nutmeg, pumpkin pie spice, or apple pie spice
Non-stick cooking spray
Optional Ingredients
½ cup chopped walnuts (or ½ cup raisins)
Materials
12-cup muffin pan
Box grater
Can opener
Fork
Large bowl
Measuring cups
Measuring spoons
Medium bowl
Mixing spoon
Vegetable peeler
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Rinse and peel carrot. Shred with a grater. Measure out ¾ cup shredded carrot.
In a medium bowl, add pineapple with juice, oil, water, vinegar, and shredded carrot. Mix with a fork to combine.
In a large bowl, mix flour, brown sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg. Blend well with a fork to break up any lumps.
Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients. Mix until just combined.
If using walnuts or raisins, gently stir in now.
Coat muffin pan with non-stick cooking spray. Fill each muffin cup about ¾ full with batter. Bake on middle rack of oven until muffin tops are golden brown and a toothpick inserted comes out clean, about 20–25 minutes.
45 MIN
Chef’s Notes
Use whole wheat flour for half of the all-purpose flour.
To make these as a cake, pour batter into a greased 8-inch baking dish. Bake until top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean, about 30–40 minutes.
This recipe does not work well when doubled or baked as a cake in any pan larger than 8 inches.
To make these a cupcake dessert, add a cream cheese frosting. Mix 4 Tablespoons soft cream cheese, ⅔ cup nonfat plain yogurt, and 1–2 Tablespoons honey until smooth and creamy. Spread a thin layer of frosting over each muffin.
You can line muffin pan with paper muffin cups instead of using cooking spray, if you like.
Make a double batch. Muffins freeze well for up to 2 weeks. Pull one out each morning for a grab-and-go breakfast. Reheat in microwave for 1 minute or toaster oven for 5 minutes.