Honey and carrot muffins for the lunchbox

There’s a certain satisfaction in adding vegetables to sweet treats. These may be called honey and carrot muffins, but their real name is honey, carrot and pumpkin muffins. Not quite so catchy, is it?

The kids can just call them honey and carrot muffins, anyway. And, frankly, if it’s too much fuss to do the pumpkin thing, you can leave it out too. Just add the same amount of extra carrot to the recipe so it all works okay.

I love one of these lovely little honey and carrot muffins with my afternoon cup of chamomile. I do like a calming drink before the kids start piling in the door after school. The muffin helps sustain me through the shock of my children nicely.

Another yummy one to try: Coconut, raspberry and white chocolate muffins

Honey and carrot muffins

Makes 12 muffins
Takes 10 mins
Bakes 25 mins

•  2 cups wholemeal self-raising flour
•  ⅓ cup plain flour
•  ½ teaspoon cinnamon
•  ¼ teaspoon ginger
•  ½ cup firmly packed brown sugar
•  1 cup grated carrot
•  1 cup grated pumpkin
•  ¼ cup honey
•  2 free-range eggs, lightly beaten
•  1 cup plain Greek yoghurt
•  ⅓ cup vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease a 12 hole muffin tin (add paper cases if you like).

Put all the dry ingredients into a large bowl and mix well. Add the carrot and pumpkin and stir to coat.

Whisk together the honey, eggs, yoghurt and oil in a separate jug. Add to the dry ingredients all at once. Mix until just combined – don’t mix any more than you have to.

Spoon evenly into 12 muffin holes and bake for about 25 minutes. Cool in the pan, then turn out and cool completely on a wire rack. Or eat them warm… nice!

These muffins will freeze well for about a month, or keep in an airtight container on the bench for about 2 days.

Would you need to disguise the pumpkin in these honey and carrot muffins?