PAT'S MUFFINS ( A healthy Carrot Muffin)

   Pat my wife, manager, driver, bookkeeper, etc.   In the past has  been buying her breakfast carrot muffins at Trader Joe's.  A wonderful place to get things,  plus they are just little over a mile from our house.   Pat is a creature of habit,  She likes her Carrot muffins,  and she gets fussy if she doesn't get her muffin every morning... So being the kind of guy that I am, and being married to her for about a hundred years,  I know that if she's not happy,  I'm not happy.

      T.J.'s runs out of those muffins now and then.  So that makes me unhappy,  Because she's unhappy.  And then the whole world is unhappy,  Well anyway, you get my drift'. 

    Well I went on a mission to find a recipe to match the muffins she's been having.  And "wala" I have one.  And the spec's or nutritional information is better.  

    The base recipe that I used is from the Food Network.  I added a few things and juggled things around and came up with a winner.  I'm sorry I don't have any pictures right now,  We ate the ones for the pictures,  but next time,  I'll do something different about that little problem.  I made my muffins jumbo size.  Because I had several new muffin pans and the paper liners and all that stuff.

    So it only made since to make the jumbo muffins.  This recipe will give you 6 muffins that weigh in at about 4-5 oz each or somewhere close to that.  The prep time is about 15 to 30 minutes.  Just depending on how fast you want to work.... The oven temp is 350 degree's F

     The cook time on the middle rack is 30 minutes.  I found with my oven you better add about 3 minutes, and your right on.  But you do need to do the toothpick in the middle thing to make sure. 

Ingredients:

• 3/4     cup AP Flour  (3.75oz)
• 1/2     cup Whole Wheat Flour  (60 grams)
• 2/3     cup light brown sugar
• 2        Tablespoons Wheat germ
• 2         teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1         teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2      teaspoon baking soda
• 1         pinch fine salt,  (table salt)
• 2         large eggs
• 1/3      cup vegetable oil
• 1         Tablespoon PURE vanilla extract
• 2         cups grated carrots
• 1/2      cup canned crushed pineapple, drained
• 1/2       teaspoon Nutmeg

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 350F with a rack in the middle.  Take jumbo muffin pan and put your paper liners in the pan.
2. Whisk the two flours together with the brown sugar, wheat germ, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl.  ( I have several wide 5qt SS bowls that I use for everything,  and this works great for this)
3. In another bowl about the same size lightly beat the eggs, after the eggs are beaten add the vegetable oil and vanilla extract.  
4. Quickly and LIGHTLY fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients with a rubber spatula.  ( I tried using a whisk for this,  Don't!!! it's a mess) use the rubber spatula.  Stir in the carrots and pineapple just until evenly moist;  The batter will be very thick.  (See note about carrots) 
5. Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups.  Here you can use a scoop, or scales etc.  what ever works for you.  (I'm going to use the scales next time). 
6. Put your muffins in the oven for 30 minutes,  I have to rotate my baking at about half way through to get an even bake on everything.  
7. After 30 minutes, do your toothpick thing.  I leave mine Just slightly wet.  and then pull them out and put on the cooling rack... I find that what ever I bake is a little more moist that way.  

Note:  Carrots, there are two ways to do the two cups of shredded carrots,  With a hand grater, or a food processor.  I started with the grater, and did about a cup and said a few words under my breath.  Then got the food processor out and did the rest in a heart beat.  So my advise is do the Processor.

   

Ok The good part,  the Nutritional Facts.

      Serving size: 1/6 of recipe,  ( 5.3oz) 

      Calories  366.43,  Calories from Fat  (35%) 127.96,  Total Fat 14.48g, Saturated Fat 1.53g,  Cholesterol 70.71mg,  Sodium 249.87mg, Potassium 325.2mg,  Total Carbs 53.48g,  Fiber 2.8g, Sugar 28.94g,  Protein 5.86g.

If you find this Nutritional Facts things helpful,  let me know and I'll do that on all the new stuff I enter.  However,  Chocolate and Desserts are not included with those little tidbits of information.  I do not consider that important information. Also, Chocolates and Desserts are  considered a Nutritional Free Zone.  So therefore things like that are not counted.