Carrot Apple Craisin Mini Muffins are a delicious variation on the ever-popular carrot cake. For this recipe, I omitted the traditional pineapple and coconut. Instead, I used apples, Craisins and wheat bran. Who would have thought that they would have tasted so amazing!
I had one lone Granny Smith Apple just hanging out in my kitchen. Therefore, I thought that I create a recipe that would use it up.
The result was a perfectly moist and delicious mini muffin,
Here’s What I Used To Make This Recipe
Many of the ingredients for this delicious recipe are probably already on hand. I know that this looks like a lot of ingredients, but they really come together easily.
- The Fruits and Vegetable: As the name suggests, I included a Granny Smith apple, carrot and some Craisins. I also included toasted pecans for an enhanced flavor and crunch.
- The Sugars: I used two types of sugar in this recipe – granulated sugar and light brown sugar.
- The Flours: For the structure, I used all-purpose flour. I also included some wheat bran for texture and healthy fiber.
- The Liquids: The liquids included buttermilk, Calvados which is Apple Brandy, egg, vegetable oil and unsalted butter.
- The Seasonings: To season and enhance the flavor I used ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, Kosher salt and baking soda. Actually, the baking soda was added as a leavening agent.
Here’s How I Made The Carrot Apple Craisin Mini Muffins
The steps in making these awesome mini muffins are pretty minimal.
- First, I peeled and cored the apple, then I grated the apple and carrot in the food processor using the small grating disc.
- Next, I added the butter, oil, egg, granulated sugar, brown sugar, buttermilk, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, salt, and Calvados to a mixing bowl. I beat the ingredients on high with my electric mixer until everything was well incorporated.
- After that, I added the flour and wheat bran to the bowl. I stirred the ingredients just until the flour and wheat bran were combined.
- I added the grated carrot, grated apple, Craisins, and toasted pecans to the batter. I stirred the mixture just until everything was combined.
- I sprayed the cups of the mini muffin pan with non-stick spray. Then, I used a 1 ½-inch ice cream scoop to fill the cups of the mini muffin pan about ¾ full.
I baked the mini muffins in a preheated 350°F oven for about 16 minutes. After 16 minutes, the mini muffins were perfectly done.
I let the mini muffins cook in the pan for about 5 minutes before removing them to a wire rack to cool completely.
I ended up with 2 ½ dozen of the most delicious Carrot Apple Craisin Mini Muffins that you can imagine. Yum!
Frequently Asked Questions
I prefer to use the Granny Smith apple in this recipe. However any firm apple should work.
Pecans are my favorite nut and I use them in a lot of my recipes. However, you could definitely substitute walnuts for the pecans in this recipe.
If you prefer, you can omit the nuts in this recipe. You can either replace them with an equal amount of the Craisins, or leave them out altogether.
Calvados is apple brandy. However, any good brandy can be used in this recipe. Also, you can substitute 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract for the Calvados.
If you’d like to make something else with Craisins try my Banana Craisin Mini Muffins or my Cranberry White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies. Or if you’re looking for some more mini muffin recipes check out my Blueberry Mini Muffins or Doughnut Mini Muffins.
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Carrot Apple Craisin Mini Muffins
Ingredients
- ¼ cup (2-ounces, ½ stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 extra-large egg, room temperature
- ½ cup (3.5-ounces) granulated sugar
- ¼ cup (1.875-ounces) light brown sugar, firmly packed
- ⅓ cup (2.67-ounces) buttermilk
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1 Tablespoon (.5 ounces) Calvados (See Tip 1)
- 1 cup (5-ounces) all-purpose flour
- ½ cup (1.125 ounces) wheat bran
- 1 cup grated carrots, grated with small grater blade
- 1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored, and grated with small grater blade
- ¼ cup (1-ounce) Craisins
- ½ cup (2-ounces) chopped pecans, toasted (See Tip 2)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray cups of mini muffin pan with non-stick spray.
- In a large bowl, beat together eggs, butter, oil, egg, granulated sugar, brown sugar, buttermilk, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and Calvados. Add flour and wheat bran; stir just until combined. Add carrot, apple, Craisins and pecans; stir just until combined.
- Using 1-½inch ice cream scoop, fill mini muffin cavities ¾ full.
- Bake in preheated 350°F oven for 15 to 18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cakes comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 5 minutes. Remove to a wire rack and completely.
- Yield: 2-½ dozen mini muffins.
Chula’s Expert Tips
- May use any good brandy or 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract in place of Calvados.
- Toast pecans in a single layer and toast at 350°F for about 8 minutes. Watch carefully to ensure that the pecans don’t over toast.