This is a carrot muffins recipe from the Baby Led Weaning Cookbook, which you can purchase here.
Muffins were probably the first food I learnt how to bake.
I used to go back and forth between kitchen and living room where my mum used to sit in front of the computer, asking her how much flour/oil/milk/whatever to put in the batter, how high should the oven be and how long should I keep them in for. I hope my Emma is going to be like me when she grows up.
Of course I annoyed my mum with my questions. Of course she was busy working and had no time for my muffins. That’s how I learned to follow a recipe, rather than ask people. And in baking, the recipe is the law.
PIN IT FOR LATER
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Carrot muffins (a recipe great for baby led weaning)
These carrot muffins are soooo easy to make, you won’t even notice you’ve been busy making them. You won’t even notice you’ve run out of many ingredients either. In fact, they’re bits and bobs that you definitely have in the fridge and pantry right now, so why don’t you give it a go and have that lunch, dinner or breakfast sorted?
They keep well in an air tight container for I’d say 3 days. You can serve them with a glass of milk on the side, or even as a snack between meals. They are easy to hold by a baby, packed with good protein (from the eggs) and good veggies (the carrots).
Other great bakes from the blog:
- Bread and butter pudding
- Apple and pear clafoutis (a BLW recipe)
- Easy scones (only three basic ingredients)
- 10 ways to vary baby led weaning pancakes
- Basic waffles + variation ideas
- Blueberry galette recipe
The end result is a delicious muffin, healthy and perfect for the small hands of your little ones. I even sneaked a bite or two and my husband would have liked to eat them all by himself.
What you will need besides the raw materials is a muffin tin (just not a silicone one) and muffin cases to line it with. Get those things ready before cracking on.
Let me know in the comments down below if your little ones liked them. Feel free to share the recipe on social media so other mums try it out as well!
Happy cooking! Happy weaning!
I write weekly emails where I talk about cooking/baking for my two kids, about leftovers and food waste, but also the latest recipe developments that go on in my head. It is called Weaningful’s Kitchen, and if you fancy getting it in your inbox, leave your email address here and you’ll get the next email. Thank you!
| Prep Time | 10 minutes |
| Cook Time | 15 minutes |
| Servings |
muffins
|
- 150 g self-raising flour (or 150 g plain flour plus 2 tsp baking powder)
- 60 g butter
- 2 eggs large, beaten
- 2 carrots medium, grated
- 3-4 tbsp milk
- zest of 2 oranges
- juice of 1 orange
Ingredients
Optional
|
|
- Preheat oven to 190 C electric/170C fan/375 F/Gas Mark 5 and prepare that muffin tray.
- Put the flour into a bowl and make a well in the centre,
- Melt the butter in a pan over low heat.
- In a separate bowl, combine the grated carrot and the eggs, then add the melted butter and mix well.
- Pour the carrot mixture into the flour and fold together lightly.
- Add milk to reach a soft consistency and then spoon the mixture in the muffin cases (you did line the tin with paper cases, right?)
- Bake until golden brown and muffins spring back when pushed, around 30-35 minutes.
Hi!
Just a question.. if i line the silicone molds with paper cases its ok?
Hi Denise,
The silicone molds usually do not require to be lined with anything, not even greased. Just pop the mixture in and that’s it!
Hi!
I just made these from the BLW cookbook. So.. I decide to ad the option of orange zest and juice but the recipe doesn’t tell you when to add it in?
I added it in at the same time as the grated carrot but they’ve been cooking for ages and the insides are still soft. Where did I go wrong? (I also used half white self raising and half wholemeal)
Thanks so much
Hi Carly!
Oh, sorry to hear about the muffins. Doesn’t matter when you add the zest or juice, it can be at the end, for example. It probably is because of the temperature and type of oven… I have modified the recipe to better reflect that. Not sure about the flour either, haven’t tried to do half-half.
I do tend to leave my muffins to bake longer than what it is written in any recipe out there. 🙁 My oven seems to always hate me. In my case, 30-35 minutes seems to do the trick.
Are you able to freeze them? I make banana ones that the recipe says you can freeze.
Hi Gem! I haven’t done it, but I assume they do. Most muffins are freezer friendly. 🙂 Thanks for stopping by!
I’m not sure how big your medium carrots are or your large eggs, but there is no pouring of this mixture… its so thick! There needs to be extra liquid added somewhere. Can you advise a bigger ratio of something?
Maybe pouring was the wrong term here. Go ahead and spoon the mixture.
I just made these this morning and they taste really bitter! What did I do wrong? Was it the orange zest? They smell great and look perfect!
Hi Alex, I think it must have been the baking powder, if it’s too much. This recipe requires 1 1/2 – 2 teaspoons if you don’t have self raising flour.
I loved this recipe. I just swapped the butter for vegetable oil and instead of milk I just added the orange juice. Perfect! Oh, and I made a chocolate sauce to go on top of the muffins, as we have it in Brazil. Yum! 😋
I also used oats instead of plain flour.
Hi Laura, that’s great! I love all the substitutions and that’s the beauty of cooking. Thanks for leaving feedback 🙂
Hi. What other options do I have if my baby doesn’t drink milk yet (only breast milk)?
Hi Caterina,
Babies can have milk used to make baked goods, like muffins. They can’t have it as a drink until 1 year old, so as not to replace the nutritional aspect of being breastfed or formula fed.
So it is ok to use cow’s milk to prepare these.
Thank you for the recipe! I’m waiting anxiously by the oven! Just made a few tweaks:
1) I added unsweetened coconut into the carrot mixture,
2) I added cinnamon and nutmeg into the flour mixture
3) I used sour cream instead of milk
They smell delicious! Can’t wait for little one and I to try them 🙂
Hey Carolyn, thanks for trying it out and writing those substitutions. Love the spices idea!
I made these and cooked for at least 15 minutes if not longer (was going off the book), they have a domed top but didn’t rise to be huge and are quite dense/wet inside. Any ideas what I did wrong? I didn’t add any orange juice, just the zest, and did 3 tbsp of milk. Maybe too much carrot? I wish it gave the carrots by weight!
Hi Sophie, sorry for my late reply. I find the recipe in the book to be quite misleading. These shouldn’t as be huge as the store bought muffins. And I find close to 25-30 minutes is usually a good timeframe.
Hi, I made these today and they came out awful. Rock hard and burnt on the bottom but almost raw inside what did I do wrong?? I have a gas xoven that hates me.
Hi Alison, sorry to hear about that. If you think the oven hates you, treat it with an oven thermometer. Just grabbed one myself at 5 pounds as the dial on mine doesn’t show all the temps 🙁
I think the temperature might have been too high for them to rise and cook properly.
Let me know how you get on if you make them again.
I’ve just made these for my 9 month old and she loves them! Thank you for the recipe 🙂
Hi Kylie,
Thanks for trying them out and leaving feedback.