Martha Stewart Carrot Cake Muffins Recipe

Martha Stewart’s carrot cake muffins use pumpkin pie spice instead of measuring out cinnamon and ginger separately, which keeps the ingredient list short and the prep time under ten minutes. Twelve muffins, one bowl of dry ingredients, one bowl of wet, fold in the carrots, and they bake at 375°F in about 20 minutes.

The trick with this recipe is that the batter can go straight into the freezer before baking. Martha designed these so you can fill the muffin tin, freeze it, and pull out as many as you need on any morning. They bake from frozen in 30 minutes with no thawing.

Try More Carrot Cake Recipes:

• Carrot Cake
• Carrot Cake Cupcakes
• Carrot Ginger Cake

The Batter Looks Too Thick And That Is Normal

When you mix this, the batter is going to look stiff and dry compared to regular muffins. Do not add more liquid. The carrots release moisture as they bake and the yogurt does the rest.

If you add extra milk or yogurt to loosen it, the muffins come out flat and soggy instead of tall and moist. Trust the batter. It looks wrong but bakes right.

Carrot Cake Muffins Ingredients

Martha uses plain yogurt here instead of oil or buttermilk, which gives the muffins a lighter crumb than most carrot muffin recipes. The pumpkin pie spice covers cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves in one measurement.

• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup plain yogurt
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 1 large egg
• 2 cups peeled, shredded carrots (about 5 medium)

How To Make Martha Stewart Carrot Cake Muffins

1. Prep the tin: Line a standard 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners.
2. Mix dry ingredients: In a large bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
3. Mix wet ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together the yogurt, melted butter, and egg.
4. Combine: Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the yogurt mixture. Stir until just combined. Fold in the shredded carrots.
5. Bake fresh: Spoon batter into the cups and bake at 375°F for about 20 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.
6. Or freeze and bake later: Freeze the filled tin until firm, about 30 minutes, then cover with plastic wrap. Freeze up to 3 months. Bake from frozen at 375°F for about 30 minutes.

You Can Freeze The Batter And Bake Any Morning

This is the best part of the recipe. Fill the muffin cups, freeze the whole tin until the batter is solid, then pop the frozen portions into a freezer bag. Martha says they keep for up to three months.

When you want fresh muffins, put the frozen batter back into a lined tin and bake at 375°F for 30 minutes instead of 20. No thawing. They come out the same as fresh, just ten minutes longer in the oven.

Try A Cream Cheese Glaze On Top

These are good plain, but a thin cream cheese glaze drizzled over the tops while they are still warm turns them into something closer to actual carrot cake. Thin some cream cheese frosting with a splash of milk until it pours easily.

Keep it light. A thick frosting turns these into cupcakes, and Martha already has a carrot cake cupcakes recipe for that. These muffins are meant to be quick and simple enough for a Tuesday morning.

When These Work Best

Breakfast, mostly. They are not as sweet as cupcakes so they work alongside scrambled eggs and coffee without feeling like dessert at 8 AM. They also hold up in a lunchbox because the yogurt keeps them moist for hours.

If you are feeding kids, cut the sugar down to a quarter cup and they still taste good. Swap in full-fat yogurt and use coconut oil instead of butter for a slightly richer version that small hands reach for first.

How These Hold Up After Baking

Baked muffins stay fresh at room temperature for about two days in an airtight container. After that the tops start to dry out, so wrap them individually and refrigerate for up to five days.

The smarter move is to freeze the raw batter and bake fresh whenever you need them. Every muffin comes out warm and the kitchen smells like pumpkin spice, which is better than reheating a leftover.

FAQs

• Can I use buttermilk instead of yogurt? Yes, straight swap. The muffins come out slightly lighter with buttermilk but both work well.
• Why pumpkin pie spice? Martha keeps it simple. It covers cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves in one scoop. To mix your own, use 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon ginger, 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, and a pinch of cloves.
• How many carrots do I need? About 5 medium carrots for 2 cups shredded. Peel first and use the fine side of a box grater.

More Breakfast Recipes:

• Banana Bread
• Buttermilk Pancakes
• Blueberry Muffins

Nutrition Facts

(1 muffin, makes 12)

• Calories: 165
• Total Fat: 5g
• Saturated Fat: 3g
• Cholesterol: 28mg
• Sodium: 280mg
• Total Carbohydrates: 27g
• Protein: 4g