I-Can't-Believe-I've-Become-a-Morning-Person Muffins

I love carrot cake. Looooove it. I have been known to eat it for dinner (hey, carrot is a vegetable, right?) A few weeks ago, I don't know what possessed me to buy a 5-lb bag of carrots at Giant. They became carrot soup and carrot halwa, were dipped into hummus, served in a stir-fry... I was getting pretty sick of carrots, to tell the truth. I've been making whole wheat muffins for breakfast, so finally I had the idea to make a carrot cake-inspired muffin to use up the last of the carrots before they started to sprout leaves in the fridge. These muffins are SO good, I actually look forward to getting up in the morning. I've been tweaking this recipe for a couple of weeks and am finally happy with it, so I decided to share.

(If I was a better cook and a better Pinterest-er, I'd have pictures of the whole process, through some kind of hazy Instagram filter that would magically hide the mess I'd made in my kitchen. But they're muffins - it's not rocket science. I know you are capable of making muffins.)

Dana's I-Can't-Believe-I've-Become-a-Morning-Person Muffins:

Makes: 6 Large "Texas-size" Muffins

You will need:

• 1 1/2 to 2 cups of shredded carrots
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup turbinado sugar (Sugar in the raw)
• 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1 cup buttermilk (I use regular milk or almond milk with a bit of lemon juice added)
• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp nutmet
• 1/4 tsp allspice
• 1/8 tsp ground cloves
• 1/2 cup chopped walnut pieces (optional)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray the muffin pan with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, mix together the egg, sugar, and applesauce. Add the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and spices. Stir in the buttermilk. Stir in the shredded carrot and walnut. Pour mixture into muffin tin. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the tops of the muffins spring back when touched. They freeze very well - just put them in a plastic container and they'll be ready to greet you when you stumble out of your bedroom in your pajamas and into the kitchen before your first cup of tea...