These are a lovely little treat for birthdays or Easter or if you just plain feel like you want some carrot cupcakes! I made these for myself for my birthday this year. They are made mostly of carrot and have a lot of delicious flavour, so go ahead, indulge.

Clean Carrot Cupcake Recipe

Yields: 12 cupcakes

Ingredients

• 3 large carrots, shredded/grated (approx.1.5 cups worth)
• 1 cup almond meal/flour (freshly ground, if possible)
• 1 tbsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp ginger powder
• 1/4 tsp cloves
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• pinch Himalayan salt
• 2 organic eggs, whisked
• 1/4 C. organic virgin cold-pressed coconut oil, melted
• 1 tsp real vanilla extract
• 1 tbsp organic raw honey
• 1/4 C. chopped walnuts and/or 1/4 C. raisins or dried currants Optional

Combine the following ingredients into a food processor or good blender:

• 200 g organic cream cheese, at room temperature
• 2 tbsp organic coconut butter (if you don't have this, I'm sure it'll be fine without it)
• 2 tsp real vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tbsp raw organic honey (or more or less, depending on preference for sweetness)
• pinch of Himalayan salt to enhance flavours

Combine the following ingredients into a food processor or good blender (*" cream" cashews first with a tiny bit of filtered water, before adding other ingredients, so there are no chunks):

• 1 cup raw, unsalted cashews, blended into a cream* (a Magic Bullet type device or other good blender will do this)
• 4 tbsp organic coconut butter
• 2 tsp real vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tbsp raw organic honey (depends on preference for sweetness)
• pinch of Himalayan salt to enhance flavours

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 355°F.
2. Shred your 3 carrots using the shredding attachment in a food processor, or grate by hand.
3. Add all the ingredients to a large mixing bowl and mix thoroughly to combine.
4. Place mixture into a muffin tin lined with paper liners. I like the parchment paper ones because they don't stick and they aren't dyed with questionable chemicals. You can find them at most grocery stores.
5. Bake for 20-30 minutes. Depending on how efficient your oven is, timing could vary. You're looking for them to feel quite solid and be golden brown on top.
6. Remove from oven and place on a cooling tray.
7. When completely cooled, put icing on those babies. I used a piping bag to make them look extra pretty but a knife or spatula will do just fine! See icing recipes below.
8. Enjoy!

Recipe Notes