carrot tahini muffins

I got this muffin recipe from my absolute favorite blog Smitten Kitchen which I have been using for years! This recipe came up in my instagram feed and I knew I had to make it as soon as there were carrots in my fridge. I've been trying to experiement with tahini in baking lateley since it's not something I normally eat, and I've come to really like the taste. If you don't know whay tahini is, it's a paste made from toasted sesame seeds. The tahini adds a great nutty flavor to the muffins and I would highly recommend making the glaze for the muffins. These muffins are great if you are a tahini fan or are simply looking for a recipe to eat with your morning coffee. Either way, I'm sure you will love this recipe!

What you need: Makes 12-14 muffins

For the Muffins:

• 1/4 cup (60 ml) olive oil

• 1/4 cup (30 grams) well-stirred tahini

• 1/2 cup (80 grams) firmly packed light brown sugar

• 2 large eggs

• 3/4 cup (175 ml) buttermilk, almond milk or (nonalcoholic) apple cider

• 1 teaspoon (5 ml) vanilla extract

• 2 teaspoons baking powder

• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

• 2 cups (260 grams) all-purpose flour (see Note)

• 2 cup packed coarsely grated carrots (from about 9 ounces or 5 slim carrots)

For the Glaze (optional)

• 1/2 cup (60 grams) powdered sugar

• 3 tablespoons (25 grams) tahini

• 2 tablespoons (30 ml) water

• Toasted sesame seeds for garnish

What to do:

1. Heat oven to 425 degrees F. Whisk olive oil, tahini and brown sugar together in the bottom of a large bowl. Whisk in eggs, then buttermilk and vanilla. Whisk in baking powder, baking soda and salt, then switch to a spoon or flexible spatula and stir in flour, then carrots, mixing just until combined.

2. Either line a 12-cup standard muffin pan with paper liners or coat them with a nonstick spray. Fill each about 3/4 of the way with batter. You’ll probably have enough for 2 more after this, so you can hold some back if needed. Bake muffins for 14 to 16 minutes, or until a tester inserted into the center of each comes out batter-free. Muffins should be domed and lightly golden on top. Let them cool in pan for 5 minutes on a rack before transferring them to the cooling rack to cool completely.

3. If you’d like to glaze your muffins, whisk powdered sugar, tahini and water together in a medium dish. Either drizzle this over the cooled muffins or dunk them into the puddle. Sprinkle with sesame seeds, if desired.

Recipe from: Smitten Kitchen