Moist, Homemade Carrot Muffins

I have grown to really enjoy hosting. It is not something I do often, however, when my energy, time and money align, I always have a friend or two over. In typical Kenyan culture, when guests are over, they must be offered something to eat or drink, regardless of how simple. It is something deeply ingrained in us and I pride myself on being a warm host. While it is not a must to offer, even for a brief visit, I ensure my guests nibble on something delicious and if the offerings allow, I pack a little doggy bag for them to head home with!

On the day I filmed these yummy carrot muffins, my friend was passing by to drop off a document that needed my signature. “Sitakaa ata” she said, to which I agreed to but insisted that she must have a mug of chai masala for chai ya saa kumi. We ate the carrot muffins, she packed some for her daughter and we chatted on till about 7 in the evening.  It was so lovely! And the carrot muffins were lovely too! Truly, nothing beats freshly baked, ultra-soft and spongy, generously warmly spiced carrot muffins.  I am excited about how deeply in love you will fall with this recipe!

PREP TIME: 20 min    BAKE TIME:  20 min       MAKES: 20

Ingredients

2 and 1/2 cups of flour

1 tablespoon of baking powder

1 teaspoon of baking soda

1 tablespoon of cinnamon spice

1 1/2 teaspoons of ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon of clove

2 cups of grated carrots

4 large eggs (room temp.)

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

1 cup of vegetable oil

1 1/2 cup of dark brown sugar

Method

I love this recipe so much because all you are going to need is a whisk and a mwiko! It is very simple to put together so let us get into it! It also mirrors this carrot cake recipe we made in 2019, just very slightly different but equally as awesome.

Now, let’s make the muffins!

For the muffins, we will start with the dry ingredients. In your bowl, add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, followed by the warm spices. For this recipe, we shall be using clove, ginger spice, cinnamon and nutmeg.

Mixing the dry ingredients first is important as it allows even distribution of the rising agent, thus guaranteeing an even rise. It also ensures the spices are properly incorporated and evens out any lumps, which could be a problem later on if not dealt with at this initial stage.

Mix everything until combined, then set aside.

In another bowl, add the brown sugar, oil, vanilla extract and eggs and whisk together until combined and silky smooth (See 3.51 in the video). The whisking will take a little under a minute with just a whisk. You can certainly use a mixer if you feel called to however, reaching for a whisk felt easy. For this stage, you should be sure that there are no lumps.

Pour the wet into the dry and proceed to mix with your mwiko/spatula until just combined.

Next, add your grated carrots. To enjoy their full flavor and proper moistness, make sure your carrots are freshly grated, and grated using the smaller holes of the grater- and not the larger ones. That is because we want them to seamlessly mix in and smaller grated ones mix in best.

How pretty does this look ?

Mix everything until JUST combined. At this end-point of your prep, your oven MUST be preheating in readiness to receive the tray, and it preheats at the same temparature that the goodies will bake.

Pour the carrot muffin batter halfway into your greased muffin tray. We pour it halfway so that the muffins can have room to rise. If the batter is poured to the top, it will spill over and merge as they bake – and we do not want that mess.

Place the tray into your preheated oven and allow these to bake for 20 minutes at 180°C. The aroma as they baked was hypnotic and my home smelled like heaven!

Once golden, beautiful and evenly baked, dislodge from the tray and serve.

Kusema tu ukweli si hapa ni kupita na nane nane?? This is the ultimate carrot muffin recipe that gives you bakery-quality treats with the perfect flavor and they stay moist for days!

I loved loved loved the texture; these had a slight crunch on the outside and super soft and bouncy on the inside. The texture and softness is better viewed on the video (see 7.54 – 7.57), coz I feel the pictures don’t do them justice! The four warm spices that were used really blossom and come to life and make for a comforting eating experience.  Perfectly soft! Perfectly spiced! Perfectly sweet!

And the best part is, they are both easy and quick to make! Just 20 minutes and you have something memorable to enjoy at home! We enjoyed these with some chai masala, however regular tea or milk would also work well. If you are a hot chocolate girlie, or a dawa babe – those would be great with these carrot muffins too. And you know what, because they are super moist, even on their own they work superbly!

I cannot wait for you guys to try this out. Be sure to follow the instructions and be precise; this is baking and your exactitude is paramount if indeed you desire a beautiful result!

My friend intended to just drop by but my carrot muffins made her stay 3 hours more. When you try this out, you will get to understand why!

Pass by my channel for the complimentary recipe video! I cannot wait to see you try this out and I know for sure that you will love these beauties!

And when you do, snap a picture and tag me on Twitter or Instagram, I would love to show you off!

All my love!

-K

Get your downloadable recipe here :))

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