Outrageous GF Carrot Breakfast Muffins

So in the frenzy of prep for the Seder, there comes the faint cry of those who live with you who (what a nerve) actually want to eat something beforehand!

OMG, seriously? Seriously.

So I decided to devise a muffin which can be eaten both pre-Pesach and during. It’s yummy for breakfast with a nice hot or cold drink to perk you up and start your day right or equally yum as a snack when your energy is flagging.

The nice part is it so totally doesn’t taste like Passover food but is light, fluffy and delish and is something I would totally prepare and eat all year round.

I had written down a recipe for carrot kugel which my SIL Diane had given me and which I’d tasted but it had matzah meal in it and as those of you who’ve read previously, I have a peeve about it since I find it leaves a bitter aftertaste in my mouth in baked goods and is so heavy.

I decided to do a riff on her recipe and fooled about a bit and came up with a muffin instead of a kugel, (which can also be served as a side dish) and eliminated the matzah meal and subbed in almond meal and almond flour. The end result is just utterly yum and I had to forcibly restrain myself from gobbling them up single handed.

I chopped the carrot a bit finer (it already came shredded)

so that there wouldn’t be those annoying very long strands of carrot in the muffin but rather smaller flecks.

Then you add the into the bowl of a mixer the almond meal, almond flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, ground ginger, baking soda, salt and stir

and then add the wet ingredients, i.e. the eggs, oil and vanilla and carrots and stir till combined and thick and sticky.

I lined muffin tins with muffin papers and lightly patted the batter into the tins about 1/4 to 1/3 cup in each muffin cavity.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and pop the muffins in and bake for 20-22 minutes till golden brown and a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean with maybe a crumb or two.

I call them breakfast muffins since they look like a pop of morning sunshine but really, you can eat them anytime and with any sort of meal.

Outrageous Carrot Breakfast Muffins

1 teaspoon cinnamon
A pinch of ground ginger
1 teaspoon baking soda 
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 1/2 cups almond flour (pale yellow floury ground almonds)
1/2 cup almond meal (finely ground almonds)
1 teaspoon salt 
3/4 cup oil 
1 teaspoon vanilla 
grated rind of 1 lemon
three eggs
3 cups grated carrots 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix in large bowl the cinnamon, ginger, baking soda, brown sugar, almond flour, almond meal and salt till well combined. Then add the wet ingredients, oil, vanilla, eggs and lastly the grated lemon rind and the grated carrots. Mix thoroughly till you have a thick and sticky mixture.

Take muffin papers and line about 15 muffin cups and fill the cavities with about 1/4 – 1/3 cup of batter each. Bake in 350 oven for 20-22 minutes or until golden brown and toothpick comes out clean or with a crumb or two. Get your tea or coffee on the boil and chill out with a muffin. You’ll love it.