These carrot cake cups (recipe below) are so healthy and delicious I LOVE making them for my kids and my family. 😍
Loaded with TONS of carrot, coconut flakes, raisins, and nuts these are a yummy way to get your kids/husband/partner to eat those fruits and veggies and a guilt-free grab-anytime treat for you too!
I personally love to eat them for breakfast 😋 With the frosting made of organic whole fat yogurt and cream cheese, what’s not to love first thing in the morning 🌞
That’s right, I just gave you permission to eat cup cakes for breakfast and told you they are healthy for your gut 🤯 Who said conquering your sweet tooth and eating a gut-healthy diet means you need to avoid eating delicious gut-healthy sweets any time of the day?
Want to get a snapshot of your belly microbes right now? Take the Gut Check Quiz
And don’t let the term “whole fat” scare you off!
For so many years researchers were saying that the medium chain fats found in foods like chocolate and coconut were bad for us 😬 Basically ALL fats got a bad rap at the time.
What they didn’t know at the time, was that you can’t lump all fats together. Because many types of fats are SUPER healthy and actually help us LOSE weight. Yup, you heard it right.
Now we know (through TONS of research) that healthy fats like those found in coconut oil, yogurt, fish oil, fish, avocado, dark chocolate, nuts and seeds and even organic butter/cream cheese actually PROTECT us from things like insulin resistance and fat storage. 🤯
In other words, they help us to regulate our blood sugar levels effectively! 🥥
Healthy fats are also the LAST nutrient our body is likely to store as fat. The first thing it stores as fat is usually extra carbs like sugars and refined grains. 🌾🍬
This recipe (below) is a great way to get a wide variety of healthy fats in your day and satisfy that sweet tooth all in one swoop!
Healthy Carrot Cake Cups (Gluten Free/Low-Sugar)
For the Cake:
· 1 1/4 cups Coconut flour
· 4 tsp Cinnamon
· 1 tsp baking soda
· 1 tsp baking powder
· 1 tsp salt
· ½ tsp ground nutmeg
· 4 large eggs
· ½ cup plain Greek yogurt
· 2 tsp vanilla extract
· 4 cups grated carrot
· ¾ cup diced pecans or walnuts
· ½ cup unsweetened coconut flakes
· ½ cup maple syrup
- 1/4 cup coconut oil
· Optional: ½ cup raisins
*Optional: 1/4 tsp monk fruit or stevia powder (if you like them cake-like sweet! Make sure to use 100% stevia or monk fruit)
For the Frosting:
· 8 oz organic full-fat cream cheese, at room temp (1 brick)
· ¾ cup organic plain Greek yogurt
· 2 tsp vanilla extract
· 1 TBS maple syrup
· 1tsp 100% monk fruit or stevia powder or glycerite
· 3 TBS coconut flour
INSTRUCTIONS:
For The Cupcakes:
1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and fill two muffin trays with muffin liners
2. In a medium bowl, stir together the coconut flour, cinnamon, baking soda and powder, salt and nutmeg.
3. In a separate, large bowl, using an electric hand mixer, beat the eggs, sweetener, Greek yogurt and vanilla until well combined. Stir in the coconut flour mixture and stir until combined.
4. Gently fold in the carrots, pecans/walnuts and coconut flakes until well combined. Let the batter stand for 10 minutes so the coconut flour can begin to absorb the moisture. Your batter will be thick, this is normal.
5. Divide the batter evenly between the 2 muffin trays, spreading out smoothly. Bake until the tops are golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 20-25 minutes. Let cool COMPLETELY before frosting.
To make the Frosting:
1. In a large bowl, using an electric hand mixer, beat together the cream cheese and yogurt on high speed until fluffy. Add in the vanilla and beat until combined.
2. Set the mixer on low speed and gradually add in the sweeteners and coconut flour, until you've added all of it and it's well combined. Return to high speed and beat for 2-3 minutes until the frosting is thick and slightly fluffy.
To Frost:
1. Spread a thick layer of frosting all over each cupcake and top with extra diced walnut/pecans. It’s also fun to add a whole pecan to the top too, have some fun with it!
2. DEVOUR!