Carrot Ginger Muffins

I’m in love with my jelly silicon muffin pan. Muffins pop out of them with barely a tap, and muffin varieties are a territory that seems endless in scope.

It’s nice to make a batch of something that holds together in six different pieces so well–I can carry them inside ziplocs and they never get stale. Carrot ginger isn’t a combination I find too appealing unless in cake form, and while this recipe isn’t nearly as rich as carrot cake, if you’re cooking for yourself and intend to finish all six, it’s probably the best compromise. They turn out a little more scone-like than cake-like in texture. Or maybe I just overbaked mine.

Carrot Ginger Muffins
(Makes 6 muffins)

1 cup flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 egg, beaten
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup white sugar
2 tbspn butter
1 large carrot, finely shredded
1/4 cup milk
1 tsp fresh ginger, minced or shredded
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp dry powdered ginger
1/8 tsp allspice
1/8 tspn vanilla
Optional: 1/2 cup raisins or nuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut butter into small cubes and let soften. In a large bowl, combine flour and baking powder with the butter, using a pastry cutter or fingers to break down the butter into fine pieces mixed with the flour. Add sugars, ginger, carrot, milk, beaten egg, vanilla, and spices to the mixture and mix thoroughly with a wooden spoon or spatula. Add raisins or nuts if using them. Bake for 25 minutes and let cool.

Cost Calculator:
for six muffins

1 carrot (1 in bag of six at $.99) .17
1 tsp fresh ginger (at $1.79/lb) ≈ .1
1 egg (at $2.39/dozen) .19
butter, flour, sugar, milk ≈ .50
spices, baking powder, vanilla ≈ .25
Optional nuts/raisins ≈ .50

Total: $1.12
(plus muffin pan at $7.99): $9.11

Health Factor:

Three brownie points: The moisture in the carrots, a great source of vitamins, makes up for space that would commonly be taken by fattier ingredients like oil, so you could do a lot worse with a sweet baked good.