Description
Deliciously moist muffins packed with nutritious carrots and zucchini, swirled with a creamy cream cheese filling.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 cup grated carrot (about 2 medium carrots)
- 1 cup grated zucchini (about 1 medium zucchini, squeezed dry)
- 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup light brown sugar, packed
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 2 large eggs
- ⅓ cup light olive oil or vegetable oil
- ¼ cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 4 ounces light cream cheese, softened
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon milk
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Prepare a muffin pan with paper liners or cooking spray.
- Mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl: flour, brown sugar, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
- Combine the wet ingredients in a separate bowl: eggs, oil, applesauce, and vanilla extract.
- Add the grated carrot and zucchini to the wet mixture and stir until well incorporated.
- Fold the wet mixture into the dry ingredients until just combined.
- Fill each muffin cup with batter, about two-thirds full.
- Prepare the cream cheese swirl by beating together cream cheese, sugar, milk, and vanilla extract until smooth.
- Spoon about 1 teaspoon of cream cheese mixture on top of each muffin and swirl gently.
- Bake for 22 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Cool the muffins for 5 minutes in the pan before transferring to a wire rack.
Notes
To keep muffins fresh, store in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 muffin
- Calories: 180
- Sugar: 8g
- Sodium: 200mg
- Fat: 8g
- Saturated Fat: 2g
- Unsaturated Fat: 6g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 25g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 3g
- Cholesterol: 30mg