Nom, nom, nomvana

    Yep. It's official. These Carrot-Cheese Filled Muffins are nom-a-licious. My family has declared it, so it must be true. Perfect for Easter brunch (or today, tomorrow, whenever) or to share, these moist carroty delights are not too sweet, but sure to please. As you can see, I was a little less than spot-on dropping the cream cheese filling in the center of the muffins, but the taste is perfect, even if my aim isn't.
     If you want to share just one, not a whole plate, here's an easy delivery method:

A clear plastic cup+ jelly beans+ muffin dropped in a cellophane gift bag.  Add a ribbon and a tag.

    








Here's the recipe:

Cheese Filled Carrot Muffins

Makes about 30

                                               

Filling:

12 oz. cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 tsp. orange extract

Muffins:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups oat flour (or oatmeal run through the blender then measured)

3/4 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed

3 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

2 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. ground ginger

1 tsp. salt

4 large eggs

1 1/2 cups applesauce

2/3 cup vegetable oil

2 cups finely shredded carrots, lightly packed

Glaze:

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1 Tbls. butter, softened

2 Tbls. marmalade

1-2 Tbls. milk

Preheat oven to 400° F.

In a medium bowl, beat the cream cheese, sugar and extracts until smooth.

In a large mixing bowl, measure the dry ingredients. In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs, oil, and applesauce. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, mixing just until blended. Stir in the shredded carrots.

Prepare muffin pans by lining with paper liners. Drop about 2 tablespoons of the batter into muffin cups. Drop a tablespoon of filling on top of the batter. Drop another tablespoon of the remaining batter over the filling, making sure the filling is covered.  The muffin cups will be fairly full.

Bake for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the cake part comes out clean.

While muffins are baking, combine glaze ingredients in a small bowl and whisk together until creamy.

Let muffins cool in pan for about 10 minutes; then transfer to a wire rack. Lightly spread or drizzle glaze over the top. (These are not cupcakes—the glaze should be just a thin layer on top.)