Protein-rich carrot cake muffins stuffed with cream cheese are a great way to sneak some veggies into your afternoon snack. Kids love them, they are nut free and they freeze well so perfect for meal prepping ahead of a busy week.
I have a fun little muffin recipe to share with you today: easy carrot cake muffins stuffed with a gooey dollop of rich cream cheese. Sound delicious? Let me tell you they have been going down a treat around here.
What Ingredients Are Needed For Carrot Cake Muffins?
We like to keep it easy around here, and these muffins are no exception. They only take a handful of clean ingredients, most of which I can bet you will already have in your fridge and pantry:
- whole wheat flour
- cinnamon and ginger
- butter
- maple syrup
- eggs
- vanilla
- carrots (a whole cup)
- Greek yogurt
- raisins or currants
Do Carrot Cake Muffins Taste Very Carroty? (As In Will My Kids Eat Them...)
These little cream cheese stuffed carrot cake muffins have been such a hit with kids and adults alike. I had my kids help to make a batch, so they knew there was a lot of carrot in there and they didn't mind one bit.
In fact, once baked, they couldn't believe the carrot was still in there!
They are super moist and full of flavor, and that little pop of cream cheese in the middle is such a fun surprise.
How Much Cream Cheese Should I Stuff In the Middle?
Now this is where you might have some arguments.
We had differing opinions around here: the girls liked a little bit (maybe half a tsp) but the boys and the baby liked a lot (1 tsp++).
Solution: Make two batches or just do half the batch with a big chunk and the other with a small one. Just remember which one is which!
I love using silicone cups when making muffins as they are easier to remove from the tray. I found these cute pastel cups with no BPA and have been loving them.
What Else Should I Know About Carrot Cake Muffins?
Just a few things:
- they are nut free so perfect for lunch boxes
- they freeze well, just let thaw overnight in the fridge
- they are a great way to sneak some veggies into meals
- they have a nice kick of protein from using Greek yogurt. I have also used applesauce and mashed banana with great success if you want some fruit in there.
Hot Tip: If you are into juicing these would be a great way to use up the pulp from your juice. Just use 1 cup of juice pulp in place of the grated carrot and you are good to go!
Recipe
Protein Rich Carrot Cake Muffins Stuffed With Cream Cheese
Ingredients
- 1 cup white whole wheat flour
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 4 tablespoon unsalted butter melted and cooled
- ½ cup pure maple syrup
- 1 large egg beaten
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup Greek yogurt
- 1 cup finely grated carrot
- ½ cup raisins or currants optional
- ½ cup cream cheese cut into 12 cubes
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F (175C) and grease muffin tin (I use coconut oil)
- Combine the flour, cinnamon, ground ginger, salt, and baking soda in a mixing bowl and whisk until thoroughly combined
- In a second bowl, combine the butter, maple syrup, egg, Greek yogurt and vanilla
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir until just combined
- Add the carrots and raisins and stir until just combined
- Fill each cup in the pan to about ½ full. Add about a teaspoon of cream cheese (depending on your preference), add another dollop of muffin batter so the cup is about ¾ full.
- Bake for about 15-17 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.
Notes
Nutrition
- Sweet Potato Oatmeal and Date Muffins;
- Mini Vanilla Blueberry and Apple Muffins;
- Carrot Apple and Ginger Mini Muffins.
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Jenna says
What a great idea to have the cream cheese inside the muffin instead of out. Certainly made sure the lunchboxes weren't messy and the kids thought it was a fun little treat. Thanks for sharing, we made a double batch so will be enjoying for the next week
Donna says
Definitely! I made the mistake of packing a muffin with cream cheese on top once before...never again!