Carrot Cake Muffins with Cream Cheese Filling
These carrot cake muffins are soft, moist, and full of cozy flavor from freshly grated carrots, warm spices, and crunchy nuts. Each muffin is filled with a creamy, tangy cream cheese center and topped with a buttery cinnamon streusel. They’re easy to customize with your favorite mix-ins and make a delicious bakery-style breakfast treat.
Equipment
- 1 box grater
- 1 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners
- 1 whisk
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Ingredients
Crumble Topping
- 38 grams all purpose flour
- 30 grams granulated sugar
- 25 grams brown sugar light or dark
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 35 grams unsalted butter melted
Carrot Cake Muffins
- 150 grams grated carrots 2-3 large carrots
- 165 grams brown sugar light or dark
- 50 grams granulated sugar
- 120 grams olive oil
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 180 grams buttermilk room temperature
- 250 grams all purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ginger
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ⅛ teaspoon allspice
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 75 grams chopped nuts
Cream Cheese Filling
- 227 grams full-fat cream cheese room temperature
- 55 grams granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla bean paste
Instructions
Crumble Topping
- In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and cinnamon with a fork. Pour in the melted butter and mix until combined and small clumps form. Place the bowl in the refrigerator to chill while you prepare the muffin batter. The mixture will firm up as it cools.38 grams all purpose flour, 30 grams granulated sugar, 25 grams brown sugar, ½ teaspoon cinnamon, 35 grams unsalted butter
Carrot Cake Muffins
- Wash, peel, and finely grate the carrots using the small holes of a box grater. Set aside.150 grams grated carrots
- In a large bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, granulated sugar, and oil until fully combined.165 grams brown sugar, 50 grams granulated sugar, 120 grams olive oil
- Whisk in the eggs and vanilla extract until the mixture is smooth. Slowly pour in the buttermilk while whisking until fully incorporated.2 large eggs, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, 180 grams buttermilk
- Add the flour, baking powder, spices, and salt. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the ingredients together until just combined. Stop mixing as soon as you no longer see large streaks of flour to avoid overmixing.250 grams all purpose flour, 1 tablespoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, ½ teaspoon ginger, ¼ teaspoon nutmeg, ⅛ teaspoon allspice, ½ teaspoon salt
- Fold in the grated carrots, nuts, and any additional mix-ins until evenly distributed and no dry streaks remain. Let the batter rest at room temperature while you preheat the oven to 425°F.75 grams chopped nuts
Cream Cheese Filling
- In a medium bowl, beat the room temperature cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla bean paste on medium speed until smooth and creamy. Transfer the filling to a piping bag or a zip-top bag with the corner snipped off.227 grams full-fat cream cheese, 55 grams granulated sugar, ¼ teaspoon vanilla bean paste
- Line every other cup of a muffin pan with paper liners. Use a cookie scoop to fill each liner about ¾ full with batter. Insert the tip of the piping bag into the center of each muffin and pipe the cream cheese filling inside, lifting slightly as you squeeze to keep it in the middle. Sprinkle crumble evenly over the tops.
- Bake at 425°F for 5 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 350°F without opening the door. Continue baking for 10-15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the muffin (avoiding the cream cheese center) comes out clean with a few moist crumbs attached.
- Let the muffins cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely before serving.
Notes
Mix-in ideas: I used almonds and pistachios, but you can use the more traditional pecans or walnuts, or leave them out entirely. Raisins, golden raisins, dried cranberries, or shredded coconut are other options you can add. Make sure the mix-ins don't exceed about 1 cup.
Use room temperature ingredients: Make sure your eggs, buttermilk, and cream cheese are at room temperature before starting. This helps everything mix together smoothly and evenly. Pull them out of the fridge 1-2 hours before you start.
How to measure flour correctly: To avoid dense muffins, measure your flour the right way. The best way is to measure it in grams with a kitchen scale. If you don't have one, use a spoon to fluff up the flour in its container, then spoon it into your measuring cup and level it off with a knife.
Nutrition
Serving: 1muffinCalories: 373.7kcalCarbohydrates: 42.5gProtein: 5.3gFat: 21gSaturated Fat: 6.6gPolyunsaturated Fat: 4gMonounsaturated Fat: 9.1gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 46.5mgSodium: 259.6mgPotassium: 148.9mgFiber: 1.3gSugar: 24.9gVitamin A: 2127.2IUVitamin C: 0.7mgCalcium: 110.8mgIron: 1.5mg
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