Saturday, April 9, 2011

The recipe

As requested.

Sweet Carrot Muffins
From Williams-Sonoma's book 'Bread'
Makes 14 muffins

Ingredients
Melted butter for greasing
4 large eggs
3/4 cup canola oil
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups flour
1 3/4 cups sugar [I use just 1 cup]
2 tsps ground cinnamon
2 tsps poppy seeds [I've never used these]
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3 cups shredded carrots
3/4 cup dried cranberries or raisins [I use dried cherries]

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 F. Have ready two 12-cup muffin pans. Grease 14 of the cups and fill any unused cups with water to prevent warping. [I always wonder why they didn't just adjust the recipe to make 12 muffins, rather than the odd number of 14...]

In a large bowl, combine the eggs, oil, and vanilla. Beat vigorously with a whisk [or with an electric mixer] until smooth and slightly thickened, about 1 minute. In another bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, cinnamon, poppy seeds, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Gradually stir the flour mixture into the egg mixture and beat just until smooth, about 20 strokes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Fold in the carrots and fruit just until combined. Spoon the batter into the muffin cups, filling each cup three-fourths full.

Bake until golden, dry and springy to the touch, 20-35 minutes. A tooth-pick inserted into the center of a muffin should come out clean. Let stand for 10 minutes. Using a small knife or spatula, remove each muffin from its cup and place on a rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Make-ahead tip
The muffins may be frozen for up to 2 months. Reheat in a 350 F oven for 8-10 minutes.

2 comments:

Mama Pea said...

Oh, fine! Not only did your picture of the muffins LOOK marvelous, now the recipe makes me want them even more! Love the fact that you cut the sugar so much and they were still yummy. Why are "they" trying to kill us with so much sugar when it's not really necessary?

Lucky Lizard Ranch said...

Yum, yum!!