Carrots and kids do not usually go together, but this recipe mixes two of Carina’s favorite foods with the not-so-desireable vegetable:  pineapples and raisins. When Carina first tasted these, she yelled out, “Yum!” and proceeded to eat almost two whole muffins in one sitting!!

(This is Carina enjoying a carrot muffin!)

These muffins are moist and a little sweet. The almonds on top give them some crunch.

I should note that I did not spend tons of time slicing up fresh pineapple or grating carrots. The pineapple from the can worked great, if not better than fresh, and I used baby carrots in my food processor.

This Oster food processor, by the way, is fantastic – it is actually an attachment to my blender base.

I was able to make 20 muffins with this recipe, which, from my calculation, came out to about 140 calories per muffin. I froze the extras for snacking in the future.

Adapted from Food.com:

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
2/3 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup applesauce
1/4 cup raisins
1 cup grated carrot
1 cup drained crushed pineapple (from a can)
handful sliced almonds (optional topping)

• In a large bowl, combine flour, sugars, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.
• In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs, then whisk in the vegetable oil, vanilla extract, and applesauce.
• Fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients just until combined. Stir in the raisins, carrots, and pineapple just until evenly moist.
• Use a 1/4-cup measuring cup to divide the batter into the lined muffin pan. Place some sliced almonds on top of each.
• Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes, until golden and a toothpick inserted in the centers comes out clean. Take the muffins out of the pans and cool on a rack.

My blender and food processor attachment:
Oster 16-Speed Blender with Glass Jar