Recipe: Olive Oil Carrot Muffins

We love a good muffin for its simplicity. In fact, a good muffin should deliver far more than the effort you put into it, and these oat- and raisin-studded carrot muffins can claim that fame. This batter has applesauce and grated carrots for moisture, spices for flavor, and raisins for pops of sweetness (although if you’re a raisin-hater, chopped dates are a delicious substitute).

These muffins are so fluffy and moist, you wouldn’t even guess that they’re made with whole-wheat flour and are completely vegan, too.

These muffins make carrot cake accessible for more than just dessert, which, as a carrot cake-lover, is music to my ears. They’re the perfect balance of sweet and cinnamony, requiring no cream cheese frosting to be enjoyable. I must admit, though, that they’re pretty stellar with a bit of cashew or coconut butter smeared on top. I’m also pretty sure that a little bit of salty cream cheese (or non-dairy cream cheese if you’re vegan) would match well too.

I often bake with light olive oil because I always have it in my cupboard for cooking with, and the light (sometimes called refined) olive oil has quite a high smoke point, making it suitable for baking. In something like carrot cake, you won’t get a strong olive oil flavor coming through unless you use extra-virgin olive oil, as the spices mask the majority of the flavor of the light stuff. The light stuff does, however, make such a convenient baking ingredient and lends a subtle fruity aroma, which is delicious in these muffins.