Recipe

Carrot Orange Oatmeal & Walnut Muffins

Recipe
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Photo by aussiefoodie

This recipe was entered in the contest for Your Best Carrot Recipe
Chef
aussiefoodie's Notes: In the winter my CSA sends lots of carrots my way. After making various soups with carrots, I was looking for a new way to use up all my carrots. There is nothing better on a cold winter...
In the winter my CSA sends lots of carrots my way. After making various soups with carrots, I was looking for a new way to use up all my carrots. There is nothing better on a cold winter day than the smell of fresh baked goods, and one of my favorite cakes is carrot cake. But I wanted to find a healthier alternative to carrot cake, that I could include in a boxed lunch as a mid-morning treat that I didn't need to feel too guilty about. So I modified various muffin and carrot cake recipes to come up with this carrot muffin recipe - its high in fiber from the carrots, oatmeal and wholemeal flour, low in sugar and has lots of juicy flavor from the orange and raisins, plus some great crunch from walnuts, and the Pepita/Sunflower Seed topping. Don't skip on the topping - the sweet crunchiness on top really adds to the overall flavor of the muffin. If you prefer sweeter muffins, you can always double the sugar.

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Makes 18

Muffin:

1 cup all purpose flour Ask a question about this ingredient

3/4 cups wholewheat flour Ask a question about this ingredient

1/4 cup oat bran Ask a question about this ingredient

1/4 cup rolled oats Ask a question about this ingredient

2 teaspoons baking powder Ask a question about this ingredient

1 teaspoon baking soda Ask a question about this ingredient

1/4 cup raw sugar Ask a question about this ingredient

zest of 1 orange Ask a question about this ingredient

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon Ask a question about this ingredient

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg Ask a question about this ingredient

3/4 stick unsalted butter, melted Ask a question about this ingredient

10 ounces carrots, freshly grated (from about 2 large carrots) Ask a question about this ingredient

1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice Ask a question about this ingredient

1/2 cup plain yogurt Ask a question about this ingredient

2 eggs Ask a question about this ingredient

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract Ask a question about this ingredient

3 tablespoons agave syrup Ask a question about this ingredient

1/2 cup walnuts, chopped finely Ask a question about this ingredient

1/2 cup raisins Ask a question about this ingredient

Topping:

1/4 cup pepitas Ask a question about this ingredient

1/4 cup raw, unsalted shelled sunflower seeds Ask a question about this ingredient

2 tablespoons brown sugar Ask a question about this ingredient

2 tablespoons dessicated coconut Ask a question about this ingredient

1 teaspoon cinnamon Ask a question about this ingredient

Combine all the dry ingredients (including orange zest) in a large bowl, and whisk to combine
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Whisk the eggs in a medium bowl until combined, add the melted butter, yogurt, orange juice, agave syrup and vanilla. Whisk until smooth.
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Mix the grated carrot, raisins and walnuts into the dry ingredients. Then pour in the wet ingredients and fold together stirring until combined.
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Pour tablespoonfuls of the mixture into medium sized muffin pans, lined with muffin papers.
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For the topping, combine all ingredients and sprinkle teaspoonfuls on top of each muffin. Press slightly into the muffin with the back of the spoon to ensure the seeds are stuck to the muffins and won't fall off after baking.
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Bake at 400F for ~20 minutes, rotating the pans part-way through cooking. The muffins are cooked when they are golden, springy to touch and a skewer inserted comes out clean. Leave the muffins in the pans to cool for about 5 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
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4 Comments on Carrot Orange Oatmeal & Walnut Muffins

cbear1984 added about 1 year ago

I've decided to embark on a muffin phase of life, like carrot cake, and want to do the whole wheat thing. I think you're my saviour, or at least the recipe is.

chiocolat added about 1 year ago

These look so perfect! Love the way the seeds look as a topping. Quick question: I've never tried agave, do you think it changes the flavor of these at all?