Carrot, Coconut, and Ginger Muffins (nutrient-dense)

My newest muffin recipe combines three great flavors: carrots, coconut, and ginger. The base of this muffin recipe is my current favorite flour combination: coconut flour, ground crispy nuts, and Einkorn (an ancient variety of wheat that is naturally lower in gluten and higher in protein than modern wheat). These muffins are nutritious, moist and delicious. Paired with a glass of raw milk, these make a great breakfast or snack.

Carrot, Coconut, and Ginger Muffins

• 1/2 cup plus 1/3 cup organic Einkorn flour 
• 1/3 cup organic coconut flour
• 1/4 cup ground crispy pecans or almonds (or substitute almond meal)
• 1/2 tsp celtic sea salt 
• 1&1/2 tsp ceylon cinnamon
• pinch of freshly ground nutmeg 
• 1 tsp aluminum-free baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• zest from 1 lemon, which makes about 1 tsp of packed zest
• 4 med-large organic or local carrots, peeled and shredded
• 6 Tb grassfed butter, at room temperature
• 3/4 cup of sucanat 
• 3 eggs, preferably from pastured hens
• 1&1/2 tsp organic vanilla extract (or use homemade vanilla)
• 4 Tb organic sour cream, preferably from pastured cows
• 1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
• 1/3 cup finely chopped crystallized ginger (measure it after it is chopped)

1. Line a muffin tin with paper cups.  (I prefer If You Care Unbleached Baking Cups because the muffins do not stick to the sides of the cups.) 
2. Zest the lemon using a microplane rasp or other zester. 
3. Combine the Einkorn, coconut flour, ground nuts, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and lemon zest in a medium bowl. Whisk it all together to break up any lumps.  
4. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. 
5. Peel and shred the carrots. I like to use a box grater to shred the carrots.
6. Combine the butter and sucanat in a large bowl (a Kitchen-Aid stand mixer works great for this recipe). Cream together for a couple minutes until the mixture turns slightly lighter in color.
7. In the meantime, combine the eggs and vanilla extract in a small bowl. (I find that a Pyrex glass measuring cup works great for this because the pour spout makes it easy to add these ingredients to the mixer while it is running.) Do NOT mix up the eggs at this point.
8. Once the butter and sucanat have become well-mixed, mix in the eggs one-at-a-time.  With my stand-mixer, I can just pour in each egg while the mixer is still running.  Make sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl once or twice to get everything incorporated well. (It is okay if the mixture looks a bit curdled during this step.)
9. Add the sour cream to the wet mixture and mix it all well.
10. Add the dry ingredients and mix until just-combined.  Because the Einkorn flour does contain gluten, make sure not to overmix or the muffins will be tough.  The batter will become rather thick, but don't worry about it.
11. Stir or mix in the shredded coconut and chopped crystallized ginger.
12. Use a 3-Tb scoop or large spoon to scoop the batter into the muffin cups.
13. Bake the muffins at 350 degrees F for 27-33 minutes, until a they are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the middle of a muffin comes out dry.
14. Remove from the oven and allow to cool a bit before serving.
15. Enjoy! 

 

Links to Amazon are affiliate links. If you use these links, your price remains the same, but I earn a small commission. Thanks for supporting this site!