Pumpkin Carrot Cake Muffins

Total Time: 31 mins Preparation Time: 15 mins Cook Time: 16 mins

Ingredients

• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 10 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1 1/3 cups vanilla yogurt
• 2 cups pumpkin puree
• 2 large eggs
• 4 tablespoons orange juice
• 3 teaspoons vanilla
• 2 1/2 cups carrots, grated
• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup cold milled flax seed
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon allspice
• 16 ounces cream cheese
• 7 tablespoons powdered sugar
• 5 tablespoons orange juice

Recipe

• 1 preheat oven to 350 degrees f. line 36 muffin cups with baking liners.
• 2 grate the carrots (i use a box grater and use the second largest sized hole). set aside.
• 3 in a medium sized bowl, combine the carrots, flours, flax, baking powder and soda, cinnamon and allspice. stir to mix well. set aside.
• 4 combine the brown sugar and butter in a large bowl. beat using a stand mixer or a hand mixer until smooth. add the eggs and beat until incorporated. stir in the yogurt, pumpkin, orange juice, and vanilla.
• 5 add the flour mixture to the sugar/butter/egg mixture. stir with a wooden spoon until well mixed, but do not over beat.
• 6 add a scant 1/4 cup of batter to each muffin cup, making about 36 muffins in all. bake at muffins at 350 degrees for 14-16 minutes, or until cooked through when tested with a toothpick. remove muffins from the pan and cool on a wire rack completely.
• 7 to freeze: place completely cooled muffins into gallon sized freezer zip bags in one layer, about 9 will fit in a bag. using a straw, remove any excess air and zip the bag. place in the freezer, it’s ok to stack the bags on top of each other, for up to 2 months (good luck getting them to last that long!).
• 8 remove as many muffins as you need at a time and either thaw at room temperature or heat in the toaster oven or microwave. frost with the sweetened cream cheese, if desired.
• 9 for the sweetened cream cheese: place all the ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth. alternatively, you can use a bowl and a hand mixer. cream cheese will store for up to a week in the refrigerator. (i have not tested freezing it.).