By Grocery List Plus Editorial Staff | Published on June 14, 2026
Serves 12
250 cal · 35 min
Carrot Cake Cream Cheese Surprise Muffins
Recipe GLPRf1c82faf7c9a9c
Wholesome carrot cake muffins with a delightful cream cheese center hidden inside. These tender, spiced muffins are filled with shredded carrots, warm cinnamon and ginger, naturally sweetened with honey and applesauce, and feature a creamy cheese surprise in every bite. Perfect for breakfast or brunch.
Save recipes you love
Create a free Grocery List Plus account to save recipes, rate them, and add every ingredient to your grocery list in one tap.
Ingredients
2 cup white whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp sea salt
1 tbsp ground cinnamon
¾ tsp ground ginger
¾ tsp ground nutmeg
½ cup coconut oil, melted
¾ cup honey
4 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
2½ cup shredded carrots
¾ cup applesauce
4 oz cream cheese, sliced into 12 pieces
Directions
Preheat your oven to 350°F and lightly grease a 12-cup muffin tin.
In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg until evenly combined.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the melted coconut oil, honey, eggs, vanilla extract, shredded carrots, and applesauce. Stir until all ingredients are thoroughly blended.
Pour the dry ingredient mixture into the wet ingredients and stir gently until just combined. Do not overmix; some lumps are fine.
Spoon about a third of the batter into each muffin cup, filling each about halfway full.
Place one piece of cream cheese into the center of each muffin cup, pushing it gently into the batter.
Divide the remaining batter evenly among the muffin cups, ensuring the cream cheese is completely covered.
Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into a muffin comes out clean or with only a small amount of cream cheese residue.
Allow the muffins to cool in the tin for 5 to 10 minutes. Run a thin knife around the edge of each muffin to loosen it, then transfer to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
Comments
All ingredients are readily available at any Charlotte chain—carrots, cream cheese, and applesauce are staples, and white whole wheat flour is stocked at Harris Teeter, Food Lion, and Kroger without a second trip. At roughly $0.75–$0.85 per muffin, this is a reasonable cost for a baked good, driven mainly by eggs and cream cheese rather than any luxury ingredient. The 35-minute time is honest if you account for mixing and baking, though portioning and filling twelve muffins pushes it closer to 40 for a first-timer. These muffins reheat well and make a solid weeknight breakfast or grab-and-go snack for a family, though the "surprise" cream cheese filling requires attention during assembly to avoid a rushed job.
Sign in or create a free account to add your review.
