A child spends more than 180 days of the year at school. That’s 180 lunches and a significant chunk of their nutritional intake!
So, it makes sense to utilise their lunchbox as a way of increasing their daily veggie intake. The added carrot in these muffins only enhances the flavour, so it’s a worthy addition and helps you tick another veggie off the list.
MAKES: 12 muffins
PREP TIME: 15 muffins
COOKING TIME: 15 minutes
INGREDIENTS
Equipment:
- 1½ cups (240 g) wholemeal self-raising flour
- ½ cup (110g) caster sugar
- ¼ cup (20 g) desiccated coconut
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ cup (60ml) pure maple syrup
- ½ cup (125ml) olive oil or coconut oil
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 120g carrot, finely grated
- ½ cup (100g) tinned crushed pineapple
- ⅓ cup (45 g) pitted dried dates, finely chopped
METHOD
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Preheat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan-forced) and line a 12-hole regular muffin tin with paper cases.
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In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, coconut and cinnamon.
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In a separate bowl, combine the maple syrup, olive oil, eggs, vanilla, carrot and pineapple.
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Add the wet ingredients to the flour and mix until just combined. Stir through the dates. Spoon the mixture into the paper cases.
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Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown and the tops spring back when touched. Lift out onto a wire rack to cool.
BOOST YOUR BASICS: Try reducing the sugar in your favourite muffin recipes. Chances are, you won’t even notice the difference as many recipes contain sugar in addition to other sweeteners, such as fruits or chocolate chips. In this recipe, the pineapple and dates bring natural sweetness.
STORAGE: Store in the fridge for up to 2 days. To freeze, wrap each muffin individually and freeze in a freezer-proof bag for up to 2 months.
ALLERGIES/INTOLERANCES: Gluten/wheat: use gluten- or wheat-free flour. Egg: replace with 2 ‘chia eggs’ (see page 5).
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