Make these delicious Halloween muffins with grated carrot, cinnamon, and walnuts. Top with a vibrant orange cream cheese frosting.
While you’ve undoubtedly heard of pumpkin muffins for Halloween, carrot muffins bring that little bit more orangey flair into your baking and they’re packed with nutrients too. Which is why they’re one of our favourite Halloween food ideas. Once baked, leave these Halloween muffins to cool, before adding your favourite icing and spooky shapes. We’ve decorated our muffins with sprinkles and jelly sweets. You could also use chocolates and other gruesome Halloween treats to top these muffins.
Ingredients
- 200g/7oz soft light brown sugar
- 200ml/7floz sunflower oil
- 2 medium eggs
- 200g/7oz plain flour
- 2.5ml/1/2 tsp baking powder
- 2.5ml/1/2tsp bicarbonate of soda
- Pinch of salt
- 5ml/1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 200g/7oz carrots, peeled and grated
- 50g/2oz walnut pieces, chopped
- 5ml/1 tsp vanilla essence
- For the icing:
- 225g/ icing sugar, sifted
- 25g/1oz unsalted butter
- 75g/3oz chilled full fat cream cheese
- Food colouring
- For decoration:
- Colour sprinkles and jelly sweets
Method
Preheat the oven to 170ºC for a fan oven or 150ºC/325ºF/gas mark 3. Line a deep 12-hole muffin tin with paper cases.
Place the sugar, oil and eggs in a large bowl, then beat together with a wooden spoon until the mixture is smooth and thickened. Sift over the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, salt and cinnamon then fold in until well mixed. Fold in the carrots, walnuts and vanilla essence.
Divide the mixture between the paper cake cases. Bake in the middle of the oven for 25 mins or until golden, risen and the middle bounces back when lightly pressed. Leave to cool in the tin for 5 mins before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
For the icing: Use an electric whisk to beat the icing sugar and butter together in a large bowl until fluffy. Add the cream cheese and briefly beat together again until just combined. Don’t overbeat or it will become runny. Spread the icing over the muffins, then let the kids go mad icing the cakes with spooky jelly sweets and sprinkles.
Top tips for making Halloween muffins:
While you can use any type of carrot you find at the supermarket to make these tasty muffins, Scarlet Nantes will give you that amazing deep orange colour that's so associated with Halloween.
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