Whole Wheat Banana Carrot Muffins Recipe

We're attending a Halloween party tomorrow, which presents a challenge when trying to avoid refined sugar and white flour. Since I knew there would be plenty of not so healthy sugary options available to the kids, I wanted to make something that followed the real food rules. Of course, I immediately turned to the Days of Real Food website to find some inspiration. In the end, I decided to adapt 100 Days of Real Food's Whole-Wheat Carrot Applesauce Muffins to make Whole Wheat Banana Carrot Muffins. To make them a little more festive, I'm using Halloween themed cupcake liners. 

Ingredients
1½ cups whole wheat flour (I use King Arthur's white whole wheat)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon nutmeg

½ teaspoon salt

½ cup butter, softened

¼ cup honey

1 egg 

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 very ripe bananas 

¾ cup shredded carrot (about 1 large) 

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a muffin tin by spraying each of the muffin cavities or using paper liners.

Mash bananas with fork until smooth and runny. Set aside.

Whisk together dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, & salt) in medium mixing bowl. Using a mixer, combine together butter, honey, egg, and vanilla extract on a medium-high speed until butter is well broken up.

Turn the mixer down to a low speed and slowly add in the dry ingredients. Continue mixing until ingredients are just combined. Next, add the mashed banana and shredded carrot to the mixture and fold in on the lowest mixer speed or by hand with a spatula.

Divide the mixture evenly among each of the 12 (or 24 if mini) muffin cavities. Place the tin on the middle shelf. Bake for 18-21 minutes; if using mini-muffin tin, start checking for doneness around 11 minutes. When done, toothpick inserted into the middle of muffin should be mostly clean with a few crumbs.