Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Carrot Mini Muffins

Little Miss Mischief is a big fan of muffins and mini-muffins are of the perfect size for my little muffin. She used to jump with joy exclaiming 'Mashay Mashay Mashay' which I think came from Milkshake but she really meant muffins! Oatmeal banana muffins, Carrot muffins, Wholewheat muffins, Blueberry muffins - she loves them all. Filled with nuts and fruits and wholegrain goodness, muffins used to be my backup solution if she didn't eat well during the lunch or dinner.


She's all grown up now [two years!! who would have thought time flew like this!] and has started going to a montessori school. I made some of these carrot mini-muffins [Adapted from this recipe which is from the La Leache League International cookbook "Whole Foods for the Whole Family"] for her lunch box and kept them nut free. I added some sesame seeds and sunflower seeds to add some crunch. Grated carrots and yogurt keeps the muffins moist. Gone are the muffins of the old days where I used to make dense muffins with no tops. I've f.i.n.a.l.l.y learnt the art of mixing the muffin batter just right, that my muffins are nice and light and fluffy! And these days, my muffins have tops too! Nobody would believe me if I said these are made of wholewheat and absolutely no All Purpose flour (maida).

Whole wheat flour - 1 and 1/4 cup
Wheat germ - 1/4 cup
Baking soda - 1 tsp
Baking powder - 1 tsp
Salt - 1/4 tsp
Egg - 1
Maple syrup - 1/2 cup [I also use honey/jaggery/sugar once in a while - All works great!]
Yogurt - 1/2 cup
Olive oil - 1/2 cup [1/3rd cup works too]
Vanilla extract - 1/2 tsp
Grated carrots - 1 and 1/2 cup
Sunflower seeds - 2 Tbsp
Sesame seeds - 2 Tbsp

Preheat the oven to 400 F. Do this step first.

Then, Mix all the dry ingredients together - Wheat flour, wheat germ, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Use a whisk to break any lumps and mix thoroughly. Keep it aside.

Grease your muffin tins. I used 2 mini muffin tins [which makes 12 each] made of Aluminium. You can line them with mini cupcake liner too. Keep this ready before you mix the muffin batter.

Mix all the wet ingredients next - Beat the egg with fork, add maple syrup, olive oil, yogurt, vanilla, grated carrot and the seeds. Mix again with a fork. [Do not use a handheld blender, It changes the dynamics somehow. A fork works perfectly fine!]

Now mix the dry ingredients with the wet ones - use a wooden spatula, mix as less as you can - just until moistened. DO NOT OVERMIX. This is the key. It is okay for the batter to be a bit lumpy. If you over mix, you take out all the air bubbles and the muffin will be dense.

Spoon into the muffin tins and bake for 15-17 mins. Check by inserting a toothpick in and see if it comes out clean. Cool on wire racks.

These muffins freeze well too. And can be warmed up in the microwave.

Note:
1. If you do not have wheat germ, increase the wheat flour to 1 and half cup.
2 . You also can add spices like cinnamon , nutmeg, all spice, ginger powder etc. I deliberately kept it simple to please those tiny taste buds.

I'm sending these muffins too, to keep company to the Wholewheat bread with bran and sesame seeds at the JFI Wholegrains meet hosted by Suganya of Tasty Palettes.

22 comments:

anudivya said...

That looks pretty nourishing with the whole wheat, yogurt and carrots! I am sure your little girl loved it.
BTW, I sent you an email to your ID just like you asked. Let me know if you got it.

indosungod said...

They look great Kay. Can't believe that little M is going to school already, time sure flies!

Kay said...

Thanks Divya, yep, got it and replied back to you. yeah, very wholesome and nourishing!

Thanks Indo, yeahh!! I can't believe it either...6 weeks in school already and she's doing great.

Anu said...

Hi Kay, muffins look great. I am thinking to give this a try soon.
Al though I have never used wheat germ anytime, can this be prepared without using it?

anu

Kay said...

Anu, you can make it without wheatgerm.. The original recipe had 1 and half cup of wheat flour out of which I substituted 1/4 cup of wheatgerm instead of wheat flour.

Anonymous said...

aah!ha!one more who has fallen in love with the bread machine!:)) welcome to the bread machine club:) kay do have a look at this site
http://www.thefreshloaf.com/
their pita bread recipe is excellent. Little M is already going to school??!! muffins look supersoft & have bookmarked it:)
paati

Kay said...

Paati, you don't know how much I have missed you.

yeah, breadmachine fan club member now! :) try the muffin and come back and tell me how you liked it.

school-na...not really big school. she's just 2 yrs..so it's a daycare based on Montessori method. I love it!

Will go and check out that site, Paati.

Malar Gandhi said...

Hello Kay, I like your articles very much. I am your fan and I have a sweet little surprise for you in my blog. Yes ! You are given an award! Congrats! Visit my blog for details!

Kay said...

Thanks Malar! :) you are too kind. will drop by your blog.

Recipeswap said...

Thanks for visiting my blog Kay.I like all the healthy recipes that you have posted.Ido write on my SBD diary but its all in draft...
These muffins look good.

Kay said...

Thanks n33ma!

Anonymous said...

OK why are you puttingtting so much effort for this?

Kay said...

Anon, the recipe is for a first timer - that's why the step by step procedure with all the details.. ...it's really very simple. once you get it, then it's really a breeze to make it. absolutely no special efforts at all!

I make it with my daughter, who is 2 yrs old.. so yeah, not much effort needed!

Aparna Balasubramanian said...

I really like the way your muffins have turned out. Mine do dome but I'm yet to get the perfectly spongy interior, despite not over mixing the batter. I guess I need more practise.:)

Aparna Balasubramanian said...

Good to know your dal turned out good. You have a good blog going here.

Kay said...

Thanks Aparna! Love your blog too. All those glorious breads!!

Anonymous said...

We tried it yesterday. The muffins tasted good and wholesome - Thanks!

International Woman of Mystery said...

Just munching one now and it is divine - light, fluffy and wholesome. Delicious! Thanks for the recipe (I came via a Google search)! Oh and I used regular sugar instead of maple syrup (as you suggested).

Kay said...

Thanks Anon and IWOM! :) Glad you liked it!

Tyler and Melinda said...

They are delicious. My little guy isn't eating egg yet so I used a mashed banana instead and it worked perfectly. I love that they are made with all whole wheat flour and lots of other goodness. Thanks for sharing these little treats.

Kay said...

Good idea! I'm glad your little one liked it. :) He's just adorable!!

Anonymous said...

hmmmm?? I dont have wheat germ. I see it says increase the flour. but lets say i wanted to use Flaxseed meal instead. bout how much do you think i would need to use???