Carrot & Apple Breakfast Muffins

September 1, 2021by Fiona O'Donnell
Serve with Chopped Fruit
Serve with Chopped Fruit

Did someone say cake for breakfast? I’m sold! But what about the butter and the sugar and, and, and………. Let’s not worry about those for a moment, shall we. Just for a second, lets think about the fact that you could potentially get some carrot, apple, linseed AND protein into your little fairy before they walk out the door in the morning, and not a frosted shreddie in sight!

The Recipe

Ingredients for Breakfast muffins
List of Ingredients

I put a little asterix on the flour in the ingredients for a reason. I used organic self raising flour for this recipe. However, the first time, there was very little rise in the muffin. So, second time round, I added an extra 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder and they turned out nice and fluffy. 

The ‘How To’ Of Breakfast Muffins

Before I go through the logistics – as the mix is particularly wet with the grated apple and carrot, you may need to add an extra tablespoon of flour depending on which product you use. Of course you could use a little cornflour, but I wanted to increase the volume of my mix (obviously the more cakes the better). Also, if you decide not to use any protein powder, just replace it with flour or flax.

Start by mixing the butter (at room temp) and the xylitol or stevia (I used xylitol for this batch).

Sugar Substitute
Ishwari Xylitol Instead of Sugar

Add the grated carrot and apple and mix through. I used one apple and 3 small carrots for these muffins as I don’t love fruit in muffins. You can choose whatever mix of apple and carrot you like, so long as the mix comes to 400g. 

Add The Grated Carrots and Apples
Add The Grated Carrots and Apples

The mix was quite wet at this point so I didn’t add the eggs first. I added some flour to dry the mix a little then added one egg at a time (very large ones – if you only have small eggs, add 4) with flour in between each one. This will prevent the mix from splitting. Once all the eggs were in, I added 1/2 tsp of baking powder to the rest of the flour and then mixed that through. 

Optional Extras

I have added protein and flaxseed into the recipe. Of course this increases the calorie content but it also increases the nutritional density of the muffins. Again, depending on the type of protein powder you use, it can dry out your mix quite a bit. Just keep an eye on this and if the mix gets too dry, you can always add a spoon of yoghurt or a drop of milk. The protein I used was flavourless, but you could experiment with fruit flavours or chocolate/ vanilla for a tasty option. 

Protein and Flaxseed For Added Nutrition
Protein and Flaxseed For Added Nutrition

Cooking Instructions

Delicious Carrot and Apple Breakfast Muffins
Fluffy Nutritious Breakfast Muffins

Make sure your oven is hot when the buns go in, otherwise the outside will be chewy instead of crumbly. Set your fan oven to 180 degrees and leave them in there for at least 15 minutes. Check them to make sure they aren’t burning on top. As the mix is wet, they can be browning on top and still wet in the middle so be sure to test them with a clean knife. If the knife comes out covered in cake mix, turn the temp down and leave in for an extra 5 minutes. 

What About Nutrition

Let me break it down for you folks. You can have a thick dollop of butter on brown soda, you can have a bowl of crunchy nut cornflakes, you could even have a yoghurt with a sprinkle of granola – each and every one of these has its own balance of carbohydrate (sugars), fats and proteins. You need to balance these macronutrients based on your own goals. 

Quick, light breakfast or ideal mid morning snack
Light Breakfast or Mid Morning Snack

These muffins have about 11g of butter each (I am basing this on the fact that I go 26 in this batch). As we are using xylitol or stevia, we are limiting the peak in blood sugar that you might get with a bowl of sugary cereal. If you wish, you can add more flax and less protein. Play with the recipe and enjoy it! I am going to try adding some cacao next time and some yoghurt instead of butter. Stay tuned and watch this space!

Finally, if you would like to check out some of my other breakfast ideas, pop along to one of my earlier posts here. Don’t forget to tag me in your creations and let me know if the kids like them!

Fiona O'Donnell