These healthy pineapple carrot muffins are amazingly delicious and moist. Sweetened with dates and pineapple, they are full of flavor and so nourishing. Truly a real deal even with no refined sugar.
Prep: Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Prepare a muffin pan, by applying butter in the wells, sprinkle flour all over and dust off excess (or line with paper muffin liners). Press the crushed pineapple through a sieve to separate the juice.
Wet Ingredients: In a food processor, take dates with ½ cup pineapple juice and process into a smooth and spreadable paste; add more juice if needed to get that consistency. Transfer the paste to a medium bowl and whisk in oil, egg and vanilla into a smooth mixture. Stir in grated carrots and crushed pineapple.
Dry Ingredients: Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg in another medium mixing bowl. Stir in chopped walnuts, raisins and dried coconut flakes.
Make Batter: Then add dry ingredients into wet ingredients and stir just to moisten; do not overmix. The batter should be thick enough to form a mound with a scoop; somewhere between cake batter and drop cookies in consistency. Adjust with flour if needed.
Bake: Spoon the batter almost full into the prepared muffin cups, for nice domed muffins. Top with whole walnuts and coconut flakes. Lower the temperature to 375℉ and bake until a cake tester inserted comes out clean and the muffin tops are golden brown, about 18 to 20 minutes. Remove muffins from the pan and let cool.
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Notes
Dates: Choose soft and plump medjool dates. Use more dates for sweeter muffins. If dates are too dry, then place in saucepan, add small amount of water (increase as needed), heat at medium high and when bubbles appear, lower the heat and simmer. Cook it until soft, turn off the heat and allow to cool.
Date paste (substitute for dates): Available at middle eastern stores or online. Be sure to look for any pits and remove. Use 300 grams (about 10 ounces) for this recipe. The date paste can be sticky, so work with it using food prep gloves or oiled palms.
Measure the flour: Unpack the flour and lightly spoon it into measuring cup and level it with the back of a knife. Or weigh the flour.
Oil: Since we don’t use sugar, oil is necessary for optimal moistness. You can try lowering it to ½ cup but the muffins will be less moist. Or experiment replacing some oil with applesauce.
Pineapple juice: The date paste made with juice should be smooth and spreadable. If the dates are too dry, you may need a bit more juice to get that consistency.
Make ahead: Combine dry ingredients and have them ready. Make the date paste and grate carrots ahead.
Storage: These are best for 1 to 2 days at room temperature. They can be refrigerated for 4 days or frozen for 3 months.
Nutrition facts: Without walnuts and coconut flakes - 280 calories, 36 g carbs, 5 g protein, 14 g fat, 3 g fiber, 14 g sugar. You can make 18 smaller muffins, and each would be 226 calories, 25 g carbs, 10 g sugar.
For more information on ingredients and variations (vegan, gluten-free, egg-free, nut-free, lower fat and other sweeteners) scroll up the page to the blog post.