Healthy Christmas muffins with apple and carrot
Prep: 25 min · Cook: 22 min · Makes: 12 muffins · For:
December is full of treats, so it is nice to have a snack that feels festive but is a bit kinder to little teeth. These soft muffins are full of grated apple, carrot and banana, with whole wheat flour, cinnamon and just a little brown sugar.
They smell like Christmas while they bake, they freeze beautifully, and they are perfect for the school lunchbox or a walk in the cold.
Tips
- Grate finely. Fine carrot disappears into the muffin, which helps with fussy eaters.
- Do not overmix. Stir only until the flour has gone.
- Very ripe bananas with brown spots add sweetness, so you need less sugar.
Little helpers
Children can mash the banana with a fork, measure the flour, stir the batter and fill the paper cases with a spoon. Grating is for older children, with a grown-up watching their fingers.
Ingredients
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice
- a pinch of salt
- 2 eggs
- 1 ripe banana, mashed (about ⅓ cup)
- ⅓ cup lightly packed light brown sugar
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil
- ⅓ cup milk
- 1 medium apple, grated (about 1 cup)
- 1 medium carrot, finely grated (about ¾ cup)
- ⅓ cup raisins (optional)
- 2 tbsp rolled oats, for the tops
- a little powdered sugar and a paper star, for dusting (optional)
Method
- Heat the oven to 375°F (190°C) and line a 12-hole muffin pan with paper cases.
- Mix both flours, the baking powder, baking soda, spice and salt in a large bowl.
- In another bowl, whisk the eggs with the mashed banana, sugar, oil and milk.
- Stir in the grated apple, carrot and raisins.
- Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients and fold together with a spatula until just combined. A few lumps are fine; overmixing makes muffins tough.
- Divide the batter between the cases and sprinkle each with a few oats.
- Bake for 20-22 minutes until risen and golden, and a skewer pushed into the middle comes out clean.
- Cool on a rack. For a festive touch, lay a paper star on each muffin and dust lightly with powdered sugar.
Questions
Can I freeze these muffins?
Yes. Freeze them individually wrapped for up to 3 months. Take one out in the morning and it will be thawed by snack time.
Can I leave out the sugar?
You can reduce it to 2 tbsp if the banana is very ripe. The muffins will be less sweet and a little less golden.
Are they suitable for toddlers?
Yes, with the raisins chopped or left out for very young children. Cut the muffin into pieces for little ones.
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