Do you have a food that you really like, but don't eat very often?
And when you do, you are instantly transported back to that moment in time when you were really happy? 

For me, carrot cake is just one of those feel good foods. 
I remember my mom buying it for me as a kid.
She'd always get me either a carrot cake or a strawberry shortcake for my birthday. 

So when Ronak and I were talking carrot cake the other day, I was super excited when he told me that it's also one of his favorite cakes.

I thought, instead of making cake (which I'd probably end up waiting until the evening to enjoy with him after work) ... why not make a carrot cake MUFFIN so we can both start our day off with feel good vibes?! 

AND OMG - if happiness were a muffin, these are it!

They are:
Moist
Hearty
Sweet
Chewy
Flavorful
 

I just have one confession.
Whenever I Google search something, I always add "best" in front of it.

And so I felt compelled to write "best" in front of this recipe because I kid you not, these are seriously the *BEST* carrot cake muffins ever. I'm so glad the recipe actually came out to make 18 muffins instead of the traditional 12 count, because I was able to keep several for us while being able to adequately share it with family and friends!

Now you can too.

I hope you enjoy the recipe below and as always, I love seeing your creations so be sure to tag me if you make these!

Lots of love,

L <3

INGREDIENTS

2 cup whole wheat flour
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup granulated sugar

3 large eggs
1 cup canola oil
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup walnuts, diced
1/2 cup raisins
1 cup pineapple, diced (fresh or canned)
1 cup shredded carrots, minced (I bought a bag of shredded carrots, then chopped it. you can also use a food processor)

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350F.

Lightly grease a muffin pan with canola oil or use muffin cups. I used a silicon muffin pan and lightly coated it with oil.

In a large bowl, sift the whole wheat flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt and sugar. Set aside.

In another large bowl, add the wet ingredients - the eggs, canola oil, vanilla, pineapple, carrots, walnuts, raisins. Whisk together.

Next, combine the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients in one bowl.
Gently mix until flour is combined.
Be careful not to over-mix as this can create a tough muffin! 

Scoop 1/4 cup of batter into each muffin cup.

Bake for 20-25 mins, until golden brown and center comes out clean.

As promptly as you can, remove muffin cups from the pan so they don't continue to bake in the hot pan. Set aside to cool. Refrigerates well for ~2 weeks.