Pineapple Carrot Muffins

Ingredients

• 1 medium carrot
• 1 cup canned crushed pineapple with juice
• 5 Tablespoons canola oil
• ¼ cup cold water
• 1 Tablespoon white distilled vinegar
• 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• ¾ cup light brown sugar, packed
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• Pinch ground nutmeg, pumpkin pie spice, or apple pie spice
• Non-stick cooking spray

Optional Ingredients

• ½ cup chopped walnuts (or ½ cup raisins)

Materials

• 12-cup muffin pan
• Box grater
• Can opener
• Fork
• Large bowl
• Measuring cups
• Measuring spoons
• Medium bowl
• Mixing spoon
• Vegetable peeler

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Rinse and peel carrot. Shred with a grater. Measure out ¾ cup shredded carrot.
3. In a medium bowl, add pineapple with juice, oil, water, vinegar, and shredded carrot. Mix with a fork to combine.
4. In a large bowl, mix flour, brown sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg. Blend well with a fork to break up any lumps.
5. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients. Mix until just combined.
6. If using walnuts or raisins, gently stir in now.
7. Coat muffin pan with non-stick cooking spray. Fill each muffin cup about ¾ full with batter. Bake on middle rack of oven until muffin tops are golden brown and a toothpick inserted comes out clean, about 20–25 minutes.

Chef’s Notes

• Use whole wheat flour for half of the all-purpose flour.
• To make these as a cake, pour batter into a greased 8-inch baking dish. Bake until top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean, about 30–40 minutes.
• This recipe does not work well when doubled or baked as a cake in any pan larger than 8 inches.
• To make these a cupcake dessert, add a cream cheese frosting. Mix 4 Tablespoons soft cream cheese, ⅔ cup nonfat plain yogurt, and 1–2 Tablespoons honey until smooth and creamy. Spread a thin layer of frosting over each muffin.
• You can line muffin pan with paper muffin cups instead of using cooking spray, if you like.
• Make a double batch. Muffins freeze well for up to 2 weeks. Pull one out each morning for a grab-and-go breakfast. Reheat in microwave for 1 minute or toaster oven for 5 minutes.