Carrot, Orange, & Cream Cheese Muffins
Spring is in full swing where I live, and the warmer weather always has me craving bright, refreshing flavors. For these muffins, I took inspiration from traditional carrot cake but reduced the spices, omitted any nuts, and added some orange and cream cheese for a lightened up taste. They are a great grab-and-go option for breakfast or a snack.
Make the Muffin Batter
Start by whisking together flour, baking powder, ground ginger, ground cinnamon, and salt in a medium bowl. In a large bowl, whisk together vegetable oil and sugar until combined and the sugar begins to dissolve. Then, add eggs, Greek yogurt, orange juice, orange zest, and vanilla and mix until fully combined. Fold in grated carrots until they are evenly distributed. For this recipe, freshly grated carrots are best. The shredded carrots you can buy in a bag at the store are too dry and thick for these muffins.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined. This will be a thick batter.
Make the Cream Cheese Filling
Mix together softened cream cheese, sugar, orange zest, and vanilla until fully combined and smooth. If the cream cheese is too hard to mix, you can microwave it for about 15 seconds to soften. Transfer to a piping bag and cut off the tip so you have about a 1/2 inch opening.
Fill the Pan
Line a 12-count muffin pan with muffin liners. Fill each to the top with batter (I use a large cookie scoop to make this easier). Insert the tip of the piping bag about halfway into the batter and squeeze out approximately one tablespoon of cream cheese into the center of each muffin.
Bake and Enjoy
Bake at 425°F for 5 minutes. This helps the muffins rise to get that crunchy bakery style top. Without opening the oven, decrease the temperature to 350°F and bake for another 20-25 minutes until the tops are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the muffin (not the cream cheese) comes out clean of crumbs.
Allow the muffins to cool in the pan for at least 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. The cream cheese filling may deflate and set a bit during this time. Store leftover muffins in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Carrot, Orange, & Cream Cheese Muffins
Ingredients
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 and 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 eggs, room temperature
- 3/4 cup plain Greek yogurt, room temperature
- 1/4 cup orange juice
- 2 tbsp orange zest
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 and 1/2 cups thinly grated carrots
- 6 oz cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp orange zest
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a 12-count muffin pan with muffin liners.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, ginger, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the vegetable oil and sugar until combined. Add the eggs, Greek yogurt, orange juice, orange zest, and vanilla and mix until fully combined.
- Fold in the grated carrots.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined.
- For the cream cheese filling: Mix together the cream cheese, sugar, orange zest, and vanilla until fully combined and smooth. If the cream cheese is too hard to mix, you can microwave it for about 15 seconds to soften. Transfer to a piping bag and cut off the tip so you have about a 1/2 inch opening.
- Fill the lined muffin pans to the top with batter. Insert the tip of the piping bag about halfway into the muffin batter and squeeze out approximately one tablespoon of cream cheese into the center of each muffin.
- Bake at 425°F for 5 minutes. Without opening the oven, decrease the temperature to 350°F and bake for another 20-25 minutes until the tops are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the muffin (not the cream cheese) comes out clean of crumbs.
- Allow the muffins to cool in the pan for at least 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. The cream cheese filling may deflate and set a bit during this time. Store leftover muffins in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
