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    Home » Recipes » Muffins

    Home » Recipes » Muffins

    Carrot Apple Craisin Mini Muffins

    By Chula King · January 28, 2014 · Updated March 8, 2022

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    Carrot Apple Craisin Mini Muffins

    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!

    Carrot Apple Craisin Mini Muffins

    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,

    Contents show
    1 Here’s What I Used To Make This Recipe
    2 Here’s How I Made The Carrot Apple Craisin Mini Muffins
    3 Frequently Asked Questions
    4 Carrot Apple Craisin Mini Muffins
    4.1 Ingredients
    4.2 Instructions
    4.3 Chula’s Expert Tips
    4.4 Nutrition

    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.

    Ingredients used to make Carrot Apple Mini Muffins
    • 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.

    1. First, I peeled and cored the apple, then I grated the apple and carrot in the food processor using the small grating disc.
    1. 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.
    1. 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.
    Flour and wheat bran added to the wet ingredients.
    1. I added the grated carrot, grated apple, Craisins, and toasted pecans to the batter. I stirred the mixture just until everything was combined.
    Carrots, apples, Craisins and toasted pecans added to batter.
    1. 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.
    Adding batter to cups of mini-muffin pan.

    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.

    Mini-muffins cooling on wire rack.

    I ended up with 2 ½ dozen of the most delicious Carrot Apple Craisin Mini Muffins that you can imagine. Yum!

    Carrot Apple Craisin Mini Muffins

    Frequently Asked Questions

    What type of apple works best in this recipe?

    I prefer to use the Granny Smith apple in this recipe. However any firm apple should work.

    Can walnuts be substituted for the pecans in this recipe?

    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.

    Can the nuts be omitted 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.

    Is there a reasonable substitute for the Calvados?

    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.

    I hope you liked this recipe for Carrot Apple Craisin Mini Muffins as much as I do. If so, please consider rating it and leaving a comment. Also, if you’d like to receive notifications of new posts by email, enter your email address in the Subscribe box.

    Thank you so much for visiting Pudge Factor. I hope you’ll come back!

    Carrot Apple Craisin Mini Muffins

    Carrot Apple Craisin Mini Muffins

    Carrot Apple Craisin Mini Muffins are variation of carrot cake, omitting the pineapple and coconut, and instead using apples, Craisins and wheat bran! Who would have thought that they would have tasted so good!
    5 from 1 vote
    Print Pin
    Course: Bread, Brunch, Mother’s Day
    Cuisine: American
    Prep Time: 15 minutes
    Cook Time: 18 minutes
    Total Time: 33 minutes
    Servings: 30 mini-muffins
    Calories: 81kcal
    Author: Chula King

    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

    1. May use any good brandy or 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract in place of Calvados.
    2. 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.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 81kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 9mg | Sodium: 83mg | Potassium: 45mg | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 770IU | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 11mg | Iron: 0.4mg
    Tried this recipe?Please leave a comment below and/or give this recipe a rating. On Instagram? Take a picture and tag @pudgefactor or #pudgefactor.

    Filed Under: Breakfast, Mother's Day, Muffins

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    Chula King is an award-winning photographer, and videographer behind Pudge Factor. She’s a professor by day and foodie by night showcasing her favorite tried and true recipes.

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