Slow Like Honey

Most days of the week, I’d enjoy fussing about the kitchen, baking different things and concocting sweet treats. I sound like a housewife from back in the day, right? Well, I’m not saying that I’m gonna quit my day job and live a life of leisure, but it is an idea that I like to tempt myself with.

But sometimes the thrill of baking isn’t just about the process. It’s about the end result. That little piece of heaven that you made with your own bare hands. I don’t need to spend hours on end slaving away to get that kind of satisfaction. Some days, it’s about getting in and out in a flash.

In my whole 5 months of blogging, I can’t believe I’ve never featured a muffin recipe. I searched and was appalled. What is wrong with me? I whip up all other breakfast pastries like scones, banana bread, pumpkin bread, and biscotti, and yet no muffin love?! Shame on me.

Muffins to me are the quintessential easy bake item. They take less than 10 minutes to whip up and 10 minutes to bake. They make a lovely addition to any breakfast spread, but I particularly like to nibble on them with a fresh pot of coffee all snuggled up in bed.

As the weather warms up a bit and the sun comes out, I find that my flavor palate changes as well.I don’t necessarily crave the dark and heavy meals as I did in winter. Instead, I want to play around with different spices and new textures.

These carrot spice muffins from Baking: from my home to yours caught my eye earlier in the year, but whenever I think of muffins, I crave anything sugary, decadent, or chocolatey. But not this time. I wanted something fresh, light, and not completely sugar-filled.

Instead of chopping up the carrots very finely, I left the carrot slices pretty long to give the muffins an interesting bite. The coconut adds some natural sugar to the muffins, so if you are going to leave out the coconut I’d add a little bit more sugar just to balance out the spices. Also, since I was running low on dairy supplies (has anyone else noticed that the prices have skyrocketed?), I substituted nonfat milk which is a big no-no. But I was pleasantly surprised. The muffins turned out perfectly moist with the right balance of sugar and spice and the chopped pecans give it a great nutty crunch.

Carrot Spice Muffins
from Baking: from my home to yours

Ingredients:
2 cups all purpose flour
½ cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 and ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
1/3 cup light brown sugar
2/3 cup flavorless oil (I used canola)
2 large eggs
¾ cup whole milk (I used FF and it worked)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup shredded carrots about 3 peeled and trimmed, (I left my shredded pieces long)
½ cup shredded sweetened coconut
1/3 cup moist plump currants or raisins (I used dried cranberries)
1/3 cup pecans or walnuts, toasted and cooled (I used TJ’s dry toasted chopped pecans)

Directions:

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Butter or spray the 12 molds in a regular sized muffin pan and place the muffin pan on a baking sheet.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, baking soda, and salt. Stir in the brown sugar, making certain there are no lumps.

In a large glass measuring cup or another bowl, whisk the oil, eggs, milk, and vanilla extract together until well combined. Pour the liquid ingredients over the dry ingredients and, with the whisk or a rubber spatula, gently but quickly stir to blend. Don’t worry about being thorough- a few lumps are better than over-mixing the batter. Stir in the carrots, coconut, currants, and nuts. Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups.

Bake for about 20 minutes, or until a thin knife inserted into the center of the muffins comes out clean. Transfer the pan to a rack and cool for 5 minutes before carefully removing each muffin from its mold.

These are best the day they are made, but still good and even spicier 1 day later. Just keep them well covered overnight and, if you’d like, give them a quick warm-up in a 350 degree Fahrenheit oven, or split them and pop them into a toasted. You can also wrap the muffins airtight and freeze them for up to 2 months.

Yields: 12 muffins