Bake someone happy this week with these luscious Carrot Muffins with Honey Cream Cheese. They are filling, freezer-friendly, and absolutely delicious!
I’ve been making muffins for as long as I can remember. Muffins were “a thing” back in 1994 when we got married. In fact, I worked in a bakery that sold predominantly… muffins. And among our wedding presents were several muffin tins and a muffin cookbook.
I have lots and lots of experience with muffins. Remember my all-purpose, mix and match muffins? Well, that’s pretty much the only muffin recipe you need. It’s so versatile and as long as you’re not going savory with your muffins, you can mix any flavor combos into it.
(Head here for all my muffin tips.)
A few years ago — about seven, to be exact — I tweaked them to coordinate with the arrival of spring, turning them into Carrot Muffins with Honey Sweetened Cream Cheese. They are so yummy!
Recently, I baked up a batch to surprise the ladies in my Bible study. It was a cold morning, and while we don’t typically have snacks, I thought it would be fun to have muffins and tea. It was also the first morning ALL YEAR LONG that I was with-it enough to do something fun and spontaneous.
I loaded up all the stuff in my car, fended off my children from the carrot muffins and honey cream cheese, and toddled off to CBS. And guess what?
Suzanne was sick. Kathryn and Joy were out of town. Alison had to take her grandpa to the doctor. Barbara was on jury duty. The only people there were my leader Nichole and me! Talk about irony. I had to answer all the study questions on my own! But, I also got to eat all the muffins I wanted.
Which I did without even blinking an eye.
Needless to say, my kids were THRILLED. They ate muffins all the car ride home. Ha!
These Carrot Muffins mix up beautifully and are super freezer-friendly, so if all your friends stand you up, you can throw them in the freezer for another time. 😉
I highly recommend keeping several bags of mix in your freezer. Totally worth the few minutes for abundant rewards.
- 3 cup unbleached, all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
- 4 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup neutral oil
- 1 cup milk
- 1/2 cup plain yogurt
- 2 egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 3/4 cup carrots (shredded)
- 1/2 cup chopped nuts
- 1/2 cup raisins
- 1 8-ounce package cream cheese softened
- 1/4 cup honey
- Preheat the oven to 375 °. Line a muffin tin with papers or spray with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine, the flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar.
- In a separate bowl, combine the oil, milk, yogurt, eggs, vanilla and cinnamon. Whisk to blend.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry. Gently fold in the carrots, walnuts, and raisins until mostly moistened. Spoon the batter into the prepared cups. It’s okay if they are heaping.
- Bake 25 - 30 minutes or until a tester comes out clean. Cool on a rack.
- In a small mixing bowl, combine the cream cheese and honey. Whip until fluffy with a hand mixer. Serve the cream cheese with the muffins.
Freeze muffins in a sealable plastic bag up to 3 months.
Originally posted March 24, 2010. Updated May 9, 2017.
Liz@HoosierHomemade says
Those muffins look yumy! I’m really looking forward to Easter this year. It’s another one of those “foodie” holidays that are such fun!
Thanks so much for hosting another great URS!
~Liz
jenna Food WIth Kid Appeal says
you’ll never guess what I used to turn the frosting on my brownies pink……
Jessica Fisher says
@jenna Food WIth Kid Appeal, I knew it would be BEETS. 😉
Jane says
Those muffins look so good! I love that there are no unusual ingredients! I will plan to make these soon for sure. I’ve started making my own yogurt in the crockpot and it’s nice to use in recipes like baked goods because they make the final result so moist and yummy!
Thanks for the recipe!
Susie's Homemade says
I entered my Ciabatta bread. It is great for sandwiches with that leftover ham:-)
SnoWhite says
Those look really tasty — I am especially excited to try the honey cream cheese — looks delightful!
Candi says
I’ve never tried honey sweetened cream cheese, I’ll have to try it!
I’ve linked to the Pound Cake recipe I’ve always have success with. It’s so good!
Janine says
Can’t find the Mr. Linky to post my recipe?
Janine says
Had to log out and back in….there he was! Mr. Linky! Thanks for hosting this…great recipes! Definitely going to try the muffins this weekend! Great Sat. morning breakfast!
Vanderbilt Wife says
Wow, Jessica, those look AWESOME! Like carrot cake…but easier. I love stuffing veggies into baked goods. If I could just figure out a way to hide some spinach in my peach cake…
Jessica Fisher says
@Vanderbilt Wife, you know, I think CA Pizza Kitchen had a pizza with spinach, cheese, and peaches. Really!
Carissa says
My boys love carrot and zucchini muffins. It’s a great way to get some extra veggies in them! Love the idea of the honey sweetened cream cheese. Thanks for sharing. 🙂
Katie @ goodLife {eats} says
Yummy! I love that this is like carrot cake, but healthier and for breakfast. Honey Cream Cheese sounds delicious!
Hilary@PeaceLoveYum says
Thank you for the link-up! 🙂
Hattie says
Oooooo, those look so yummy! Definitely going to give these a try! Thanks for sharing!
Alicia says
Your muffins look great, Jessica!
Amanda@A Few Shortcuts says
Thanks so much for the linky! I can’t wait to check out some other great recipes!
Kim Kauffman says
Yummy, I have these baking right now!
Amber says
Just made these for tomorrow’s breakfast but everyone had one as a before bedtime snack. Sooooo good! I made a couple of alterations but out of necessity and error lol. I did not have any raisins or craisins so I chopped up 1/2 cup prunes. And I thought it was 3 cups of carrots I added 2 cups and realized it was 3/4ths not 3 cups! But too late I had already thrown 2 cups in. It was great. The muffins did not appear to be overly carrot-y. The honey cream cheese was fantastic. Will definitely make these for work during the fall.
Jessica Fisher says
Yay! I’m so glad it worked out. Your changes sound super tasty, too. Carrots seem to always be in season so it’s a great cheap baking mix-in.