Paleo Carrot Cake Muffins

In the interest of living a healthier lifestyle, I switched our family to the Paleo diet just over a month ago.  There are a few seasoned paleo bakers/bloggers out there that have helped me make the transition a whole lot easier for my older kiddos, ages 3 and 5.  

One of my hubby's and my favorite dessert cakes is carrot cake, and with hubby coming home soon from a deployment, I thought it was an opportunity to test out something new and have a nice welcome home treat waiting for him.

I had scoured the internet looking for a paleo carrot cake recipe, but almost every single one used almond flour.  I'm not opposed to using almond flour, but we use almond butter and snack on whole almonds almost daily, and while almonds are a healthy nut packed full of vitamins and fiber, there is such a thing as "too much of a good thing"..... In the end, my quest to find a recipe using only coconut flour ended up with several that seemed to overcomplicate what should be a pretty straightforward thing.  With just over a month's worth of baking paleo (i.e. with coconut flour and almond flour),  I felt somewhat confident in converting one of my favorite carrot cake recipes to a paleo friendly version.  

So here is my tried, tested and approved recipe.  Note that I am still working on a perfect complimentary frosting to make these into cupcakes and/or a fabulous layered cake.  But until then, these make some pretty yummy muffins that I will likely make for my kids as a staple snack.

INGREDIENTS

1 c. applesauce
2/3 c. coconut sugar
6 drops plain stevia
6 eggs, slightly beaten


1/2 c. + 1 T coconut flour
1 t. baking powder
1 t. baking soda
1 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. sea salt


2 c. shredded carrots
1/2 c. crushed or diced pineapple (I use the snack cups in 100% juice)
1 oz organic raisins (I use the snack size boxes)

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. Prepare your cupcake tins with 12 paper liners. (I highly recommend using cupcake papers because I have yet to successfully remove a coconut flour cupcake totally intact without one).

3. Mix the applesauce, coconut sugar, stevia, and eggs together until slightly foamy. A hand whisk or electric mixer work great.

4. In a separate bowl, mix the coconut flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt together.

5.  Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients.  Mix well with a spoon or spatula. 

6. Fold in the carrots, pineapple and raisins.

7. Fill your muffin cups to the top, or evenly among 12 cups.

8. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes or until tops start to brown a little.

9.  Let muffins cool completely before removing from the pan.

10.  Enjoy!