Carrot Cream Cheese Muffins

Are these a muffin or a cupcake? This is the question posed by several food blogs I have seen this recipe posted on. A good piece of carrot cake is worth it's weight in gold, in my opinion. So, I decided to try and answer the question for myself. I loved these muffins.....that's right, I'm calling them muffins, since I choose to eat the mainly for breakfast. But, they are sweet enough, thanks to the cream cheese filling, to feel like a dessert. So, throw caution to the wind, and enjoy these muffins....cupcakes....whatever you choose to call them!

Carrot Cream Cheese Muffins

Ingredients:

Carrot Muffins:

1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1 cup sugar

3 eggs

2/3 cup vegetable oil

1 1/2 cup shredded carrots (about 8oz of baby carrots)

1/2 cup chopped walnuts (I omitted)

1/2 cup raisins, soaked in hot water or rum for 10 minutes (I omitted)

Cream Cheese Filling:

4 oz. cream cheese, softened

1 egg yolk

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350. Prepare your muffin tins by greasing with cooking spray or using paper liners.
Sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and sugar; set aside.

In separate bowl, beat the eggs and oil together until lightened. Stir in the carrots, walnuts and raisins.

In another bowl, cream together the cream cheese filling ingredients; set aside.

Fold the dry muffin ingredients into the wet egg/oil mixture and stir until just combined.

Fill each muffin cup about ¾ full.
Top each filled muffin cup with a generous teaspoon of the cream cheese filling.

Bake about 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake part comes out clean.

Source: The Delicious Life