Cream Cheese Filled Carrot Cake Muffins
Cream Cheese Filled Carrot Cake Muffins are packed with the same flavors as a traditional carrot cake except these are on the healthier side! Stuffed with a creamy cream cheese center and makes a delicious breakfast treat!
Servings: 12 muffins
Ingredients
Cream Cheese Filling
- 8 ounce cream cheese softened at room temperature
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Carrot Cake Muffins
- 1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour or all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil or coconut oil
- 1/3 cup brown sugar or coconut sugar
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 whole eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups finely grated carrots (don't ring out excess water)
Instructions
- In a small bowl with an electric mixer, beat together cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla extract together until smooth. Set aside.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a muffin pan with 12 muffin liners or spray well with nonstick spray. In a medium mixing whisk together the whole wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ground cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl mix together the oil, sugars. eggs, and vanilla extract until combined.
- Fold the dry ingredients in with the wet ingredients just until combined and then fold in the shredded carrots. Do not over-mix.
- Add 2 heaping tablespoons of carrot cake batter to each muffin liner, then add 1-2 tablespoons of the cream cheese mixture to the center of the carrot cake batter. Divide the remaining batter to the tops of the cream cheese mixture. Gently spread the batter with a spoon to cover as much cream cheese mixture as possible.
- Bake muffins for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let cool for a few minutes before transferring to a wire cooling wrack. Frost with leftover cream cheese mixture, walnuts, or leave them plain. Enjoy warm or cold!