Wow, I just finished eating one of these carrot cake muffins and my gosh they are TASTY. Carrot cake is my absolute favourite cake. The cinnamon, the carrot, the raisins. Yum. But of course carrot cake usually comes with a whole load of vegetable oil and refined sugar. Not this recipe. I have adapted a regular carrot cake recipe using healthier ingredients but it still tastes amazing!

What makes these Carrot Cake Muffins healthy?

Wholewheat flour

We are using wholewheat flour. To be honest I cant remember the last time I didn’t use wholewheat flour in a recipe. Theres not much of a difference yet when using wholewheat you are getting so much more fiber, vitamins and minerals. Wholewheat flour is basically white flour before all of the nutritional goodness is removed. It’s a no brainer right?

Here are some of the nutrients that you get from wholewheat flour that you don’t with refined flour:

• Fiber! – oh wonderful fiber, you help us to have great poos and I am so thankful for that. There is nothing worse than being constipated in my opinion and fiber is an essential carbohydrate that ensures a great poop. As fiber is digested slowly, it can help you feel fuller for longer, aiding weight loss. This slow digestion also ensure energy is released slowly helping to control blood sugar and insulin levels. This is also linked to protection against heart disease. So please, eat your fiber!
• Vitamins B1, B2, B3, B5 and folate – B vitamins can easily be forgotten about. I feel we all know we need vitamin C for our immune system and we need our vitamin D from sunlight but B vitamins can be overlooked. But they absolutely shouldn’t as they are super essential for many functions in the body. Especially folate. B vitamins are essential for energy production in the body and a deficiency can result in fatigue, anemia and depression.
• Iron and calcium – wholewheat flour is also a source of these minerals that are also essential for oxygen transport, muscle, bone and nerve health.
• Protein – wholewheat flour also provides 25% more protein that white refined flour, contributing to fullness and many body functions.

Greek yoghurt

I loooove using greek yoghurt for muffins. It make them moist, squishy and delicious. Additional to that greek yoghurt is an amazing source of protein keeping you fuller for longer and supporting every tissue in the body!

Carrots. Lots of carrots.

Well we all know that carrot are good for you but its an amazing thing to get in your veggies when it tastes so good. I love this carrot cake recipe to get those extra veggies in the kids. Carrots are rich in carotenoids (converted to vitamin A) which support the immune system, growth and eye health. Definitely an important nutrient for growing kids. And the great news is that carotenoids survive moderate cooking so this goodness wont be lost during the baking process.

Coconut sugar

Coconut sugar contains inulin which can help to reduce blood sugar from spiking in comparison to refined sugar. So this recipe is a good option for people with diabetes. Coconut sugar also contains some nutrients such as zinc, iron, potassium, calcium and antioxidants. I love the taste of coconut sugar in this recipe. It tastes quite like caramel going perfectly with the cinnamon. You should be able to find coconut sugar in the supermarkets. I use this one from Sevenhills Wholefoods.

Carrot cake muffins for kids

These muffins are so great for kids, supporting their energy levels, their growing muscles, bones and eyes. I find healthy baking essential for kids as its really difficult to avoid them eating treats in this modern day life. Processed treats like biscuits and cakes and other packaged foods contain high amounts of refined sugar, refined flours and harmful fats and barely any nutrients. These processed foods have been found to affect children’s behaviour and ability to focus as well as their growth. We don’t have for force our kids to eat veggies all day long, they can still have their treats however being mindful about the ingredients can go a long way in their growth and health for the future. Plus i’m sure they would love to get involved in the baking too! One last thing to mention is I love not having to restrict them from eating these treats, and not treating them like treats! I am happy for them to have healthy muffins for breakfast or after school, it doesn’t have to be a battle anymore!

Anyway, I hope you are inspired to try this recipe. I have another recipe for courgette muffins which I love too incase y’all don’t like carrot cake! Enjoy the recipe, chao.