There are just some foods that moms do best. For me, one of those foods is this recipe for carrot muffins.  This wasn’t one of those recipes that I grew up my mom making all the time. I wish!  No, this is a recipe that she whipped out of her hat long after I had left the nest.  Apparently she had more time then to experiment with recipes when she was an empty nester.  All that being said, one day when I went over to her house, she had these muffins…the most amazing muffins I’d ever tasted.

She created this recipe when she was trying to recreate the Mimi’s Café carrot raisin muffins. Mimi’s Café is one of those chain breakfast places with great pastries.  I think she definitely surpassed Mimi’s Café.   The first time I had them, she sent some home with me to give to my husband and as I told her, “Mom, I’m not sure these are going to make it home to my hubby.”  Sure enough… they didn’t.  I devoured them in the car ride home and I have no regrets about it. 

So how did my mom do it?  How did she make this kind of magic happen in the kitchen? Well, it was a little hard to tie her down on how to make these because she is one of those amazing cooks who is more of an artist than a scientist in the kitchen and cooks more out of instinct than a recipe.  Even if she has a recipe for something, she rarely makes something just as the recipe dictates.  All that being said, I finally nailed her down and made her write down exactly what she did to make these muffins so that I could make them at home, and here’s what she told me to do. 

Start with a Carrot Cake Box Mix- Not Spice Cake

She used Duncan Hines mix, but you can use any carrot cake mix that you want.  She is very insistent that you CANNOT use a spice cake box mix. She has tried it and she says it’s a no go, so I’ll have to believe her on this one. 

Use Real Buttermilk

My mom swears this is a deal breaker for these muffins, not fake buttermilk made with milk and either lemon juice or vinegar.  She’s right; the real buttermilk does make them better, but if you are like me, the prospect of ever having buttermilk in my refrigerator is near zero, so I’ve definitely made them with the makeshift buttermilk which I think has still worked pretty well. 

Plump Your Raisins

This was also a new concept to me, but is something that my mom swears by so I gave it a try.  Plumping the raisins involves putting the raisins in a pot of water on low on the stovetop for about 10 min.  This allows the raisins, which are typically dry and chewy, to be moist, soft and tender for the muffins.  The genius of this is that raisins are actually intensely sweet because they have condensed all the sugars from the grape into a compact little package which makes for a super sweet punch; however, raisins are, well, very raisiny.  The flavor of raisins is honestly a little weird- almost woody, so spreading that flavor and sugar out is a good idea.   It really does make a difference.  Don’t skip this step. 

Use Oil or Apple Sauce

I know that one always can make this choice if trying to be healthier, but I feel like many recipes really just don’t taste as good when you use apple sauce instead of oil.  The recipes are healthier, so I make them that way, but they’re just not nearly as good.  This recipe is honestly an exception to that rule.  Using applesauce in these muffins actually complements the other ingredients nicely.  Apples, carrots, and raisins are a delightful mixture of flavors that pleases the taste buds quite nicely, so you can really choose if you want to use apple sauce or oil.  For me, I like to use a combo of both, mostly apple sauce and just a little bit of oil because I think a little bit of oil always makes things taste better because it ups the fat content which our taste

buds love.

Don’t Over Mix the Batter

This is my own contribution to this recipe.  Over mixing the batter causes the muffins to not be as light and fluffy as they should be and we don’t want that.

Don’t Substitute Cranberries for Raisins

This is my own observation.  I tried it once because I thought that it would probably be great.  Dried cranberries are better tasting than raisins (in my opinion) and I figured they were basically the same idea so I gave it a try.   I now know that cranberries and raisins are not interchangeable.  Raisins, while having a weird flavor, are not nearly as tart as cranberries and therefore blend in better to the flavor palate.  Cranberries jump out at you like an assassin and most definitely do not blend into the flavors of the overall muffin.  Lesson learned. 

These Muffins Are for Everyone- Even for Those Who Don’t Like Carrot Cake

I’m honestly not a huge carrot cake fan myself.  I would never order carrot cake at a restaurant, and I have no problem passing up carrot cake if it is being served.  I find carrot cake to be a very polarizing food.  There are people who absolutely love it, and then there are a lot of people who don’t care for it so I thought it merited mentioning that these muffins are not like that. They are well liked by carrot cake as well as by non-carrot cake people.

My Takeaways

Overall, I love these muffins because they can be made at a moments’ notice with stuff that I usually have on hand.  I can stock up on the carrot cake box mixes when they are on sale and carrots are cheap and can be stored in your fridge for a long time.  The only thing I don’t usually have on hand is the buttermilk, but again, you can make using milk and either lemon juice or vinegar if you need to, and I always have milk, lemon juice and vinegar on hand. 

If you are planning something special like a ladies’ brunch or a baby shower, these muffins look gourmet when you put them in fancy baking cups like the ones below. 

Buy parchment liners here: https://bioandchic.com/tulips-newspaper-baking-cup-6-9-x-6-9-x-2-35in-12-pcs-per-pack/?gclid=CjwKCAjw2f-VBhAsEiwAO4lNeJ4-qi1R_W4rS9xZnqH06PH8vgcsRC8JJXFqX6mSpuE6yfoQ1tyN_xoCmYsQAvD_BwE#fo_c=3111&fo_k=c97c1f4d1205d86e50944144d6fa712f&fo_s=gplaus

While these fancy liners do nothing to the actual flavor of the muffins, they somehow just make them taste so fancy! People will definitely think you went to a fancy boutique bakery to get these if you put them in these liners.  These liners are perfect if you’re throwing a baby shower brunch or something like that.    

   Buy parchment liners here: https://www.instacart.com/landing?product_id=19853778&retailer_id=201&region_id=3924635510&utm_medium=sem_shopping&utm_source=instacart_google&utm_campaign=ad_demand_shopping_rp_food-pantry&utm_content=accountid-8145171519_campaignid-16074540121_adgroupid-129731642810_device-c&gclid=CjwKCAjw2f-VBhAsEiwAO4lNeMembItba3cB_6lewI0J0of9mFus9fUMSHv_BtnPAqgJGd-kJCbmbhoCFOkQAvD_BwE

Carrot Muffin Recipe

• 1 Duncan Hines Carrot Cake Box Mix (not spice cake!)

• 3/4 Cup Buttermilk

(Actual buttermilk is best, but in a pinch you can create a buttermilk substitute by taking 1 cup milk and adding a tablespoon of either lemon juice or white vinegar to it and letting it sit for like 5 minutes to curdle a little.  I’d use lemon juice rather than vinegar if I had both on hand as lemon definitely complements the flavor palate. )

• 3 Eggs

• 1/3 Cup of Vegetable Oil or Apple Sauce

• 1/2 Cup Raisins 

(Plump the raisins in a pot of water on low on the stove for 10 minutes and then drain before combining with batter.)

• 1 Cup Shredded Carrots

Directions:

Mix box mix, eggs, buttermilk, and oil/apple sauce together.  Once mixed, fold in the shredded carrots and the plumped raisins.  Bake according to the box mix times.