It’s that time of year when we’ve got zucchini growing out of our ears & carrots are almost as plentiful.

And while they’re great for roasting, spiraling, steaming, stir-frying, or eating raw, there’s nothing wrong with enjoying them in a baked good now & again.

Tender & lightly spiced, I typically enjoy these babies plain. But let’s be honest – muffins are essentially cupcakes. So if you’d prefer them with a light cream cheese frosting, I wouldn’t blame you one bit.

Without further adieu….

Carrot Zucchini Muffins

2 cups whole-grain spelt flour (or other flour of your choice*)**
1/2 cup cane sugar (up to 3/4 cup if you like your muffins sweeter)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup shredded carrot (about 1 medium carrot)
1 cup shredded zucchini (about 1 small to medium zucchini)
4-ounce jar baby food carrots (or 1/2 cup pureed carrots)**
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup raisins, soaked & well-drained (optional)
1/3 cup toasted walnuts (optional)
1/3 cup sunflower oil (or other oil of your choice)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees & line muffin cups (if desired).

Combine all dry ingredients in a medium-sized bowl & mix well. Then add remaining ingredients & stir until combined.

Place in muffin cups & bake for 18 to 22 minutes.

Makes 10 to 12 muffins.

*If you use all-purpose flour, note that you may need to increase the water by a 2 to 4 tablespoons, as spelt flour requires less water on average than wheat flour.

**You can replace the carrots with 1/2 cup pureed pumpkin or sweet potatoes if you prefer. You can also replace the cinnamon with pumpkin pie spice if you enjoy the additional flavor of ginger, nutmeg & cloves. You may need to add a bit more water if you use pumpkin or sweet potatoes, because they’re often thicker than carrots. But remember that you’ll have the moisture from the zucchini as well, so you don’t want the batter to be too thin.

EDIT: Though I have tested positive for celiac disease since the posting of my wheat-based recipes, I will keep them up on my website for others. Because honestly, I love gluten and would still eat it if I could!