carrot cupcakes

Last night I found myself with a baby in my arms - midway through a feeding, checking on cupcakes I had just pulled out of the oven, getting ready to make cream cheese frosting, all while burping Little Olivia and telling her how I can’t wait until she can chow down on cupcakes with her mama. Cue, Carrot Cupcakes.

 CARROT CUPCAKES                  

PREP
: 25 MINS | TOTAL TIME: 
50 MINS | YIELD: 
1 Dozen

INGREDIENTS

1 cup granulated sugar

1/3 cup vegetable oil

2 tablespoons orange juice

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)

     *Modified to be Gluten Free - I used William’s Sonoma Cup4Cup GF Flour

1 1/2 cups shredded carrots

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1/4 cup shredded coconut, plus more for garnish

8 ounces bar cream cheese, room temperature

3/4 cup confectioners’ sugar

 DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Oil a standard 12-cup muffin tin or line with paper liners. In a bowl, combine sugar, vegetable oil, orange juice, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract, and eggs.

Stir in baking powder, baking soda, allspice, and salt. Add flour; mix. Stir in carrots, walnuts, and coconut.

Divide batter evenly among muffin cups. Bake until toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean, 25 minutes. Let cool completely before frosting.

Meanwhile, in a mixing bowl, combine cream cheese, confectioners’ sugar, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract. Whisk until smooth.

Frost cupcakes, and garnish with shredded coconut.

Note: If I made these again, to my personal preference I would nix the frosting and just eat them as carrot “muffins” for breakfast or pack them in Dustin’s lunch. For us, the frosting was a bit rich, and the cupcakes themselves were so moist that frosting wasn’t even needed.