Looking for a not too sweet, crunchy, chewy, moist bite of deliciousness in your day? Try these muffins! I know I’ve given you a lot of apple recipes, but you can always substitute and I listed some possible substitute for them in the recipe section below.  This is a great treat for those mornings where you might have overslept and have to race to the kitchen table to start your work day – I know, traffic from the bedroom to the table is brutal these days!  

I grated (using the big holes on a big box grater) 1 gala apple, skin on, and 2 medium unpeeled carrots (you know the kind that come in the bag) to yield about 2 cups of grated carrot (a little more won’t hurt, it’s muffins not open heart surgery). Everything comes together in 2 bowls – dry ingredients and wet ingredients. Gotta love this, so little to cleanup! No muffin tin liners required either, I just lightly sprayed my non-stick pan and add a heaping tablespoon to each hole. Baking time 25 minutes at 350f gave me a clean toothpick. And yes, I always check 5 minutes before and gage for additional time.

These will be a great start to your morning or to hold you over until your next meal. You can dress this up with some crumble before it goes into the oven – less healthy but delicious. I used some left over oatmeal cookies that didn’t work in testing a recipe but tasted great (I know, how many cookies did I make – lots), to top these muffins. I also used white sugar, I could have used coconut sugar or brown sugar – they would have all been great. For the coconut, I used the Compass brand (no, I don’t work for them) available at the big box stores. I like it because it is softer than the typical desiccated coconut and even after a few months still tastes fresh.

Pumpkin spice mix is my go to blend for baking whenever a recipe calls for cinnamon so I will quite often substitute it for cinnamon and most any other spice a recipe calls for. It’s a judgement thing – I’m not making it taste like pumpkin, just perking it up with the spice mix. One last thing, when combining the ingredients, I didn’t leave any unmixed flour in the bowl, it was a very moist batter – mixed well.  Wash your hands, wear a mask, socialize responsibly as per your local guidelines and don’t forget to download the Covid application and above all, stay safe!  As always – enjoy!

Ingredients
2 cups flour
½ cup sugar
2 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice mix – or 1 tsp cinnamon and ½ tsp cardamom and ½ tsp nutmeg or your own blend of spices that total 2 tsps.
3 eggs
½ cup vegetable oil
2 tsp. vanilla
2 cups grated carrots
1 apple, grated (about 1 cup)
½ cup sunflower seeds
½ cup pumpkin seeds
¼ cup sweetened coconut flakes  

Directions
Preheat oven to 350f – lightly spray a 12 hole muffin tin
Using the holes on a big box grater, grate the carrot and apple
Transfer to a bowl and add the seed mix – set aside
Combine and stir together the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt and pumpkin pie spice mix 
In a large bowl whisk the eggs, oil and vanilla
Add the flour mix to the egg mixture
Fold in the carrots, apple, coconut and seeds
Scoop into the greased muffin tin and sprinkle with the crumble mix if using – coarse sugar also works
Bake for 23 – 28 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean
Let the muffins cool in the pan before removing
Serve warm cold or at room temperature – you’re welcome 🙂

Substitutions and/or Changes
Use chopped almonds or walnuts instead of/with the seeds
Use diced pears or peaches instead of apples
Use grated parsnips instead of carrots but add an additional 2 tbsp. sugar
Instead of grating the apples, do a small dice instead – it’s all about texture, mouth feel
Add any type of dried fruit – craisins, currants, diced apricots, dates etc. – if the dried fruit is a little hard (taste it to make sure it is still good), just toss it in with the grated apple/carrot and let it sit on the counter for 15 minutes, the moisture will soften the dried fruit