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    Home » cooking » baking » Carrot Muffins with Cream Cheese Filling - We're Gonna Need a Montage

    baking

    Carrot Muffins with Cream Cheese Filling - We're Gonna Need a Montage

    carrot muffin with cream cheese filling

    Cupcake.

    Muffin.

    Really now, is there a difference between a cupcake and a muffin? Is not one the same as the other with merely an aspiration of frosting? Is not a cupcake just a prissier muffin, perhaps a slightly finer body made with cake flour, but with no real substance on the inside, only covered with frosting make-up and adorned with flashy chocolate and candy accessories on the outside? Or is is that a muffin is the back asswards, lumpy, bumpy country cousin of the sophisticated city cupcake?

    These questions, they are too much. I feel the need...I feel the need for...a montage.

    The hour's approaching to give it your best
    And you've got to reach your prime
    That's when you need to put yourself to the test
    And show us the passage of time
    We're gonna need a montage
    Ooh, it takes a montage

    carrot muffins with cream cheese filling - chopped walnuts
    a montage starts with mise en place

    carrot muffins with cream cheese filling - shredded carrots
    just the result of shredding

    Show a lot of things happening at once
    Remind everyone of what's going on
    In every shot, show a little improvement
    To show it all would take too long
    That's called a montage
    Girl, we want a montage

    carrot muffins with cream cheese filling - batter
    a muffin has substance

    carrot muffins with cream cheese filling - filled muffin tins
    no need to show the baking

    In anything, if you want to go
    From just a beginner to a pro
    You need a montage
    Even Rocky had a montage

    carrot muffins with cream cheese filling - muffin
    skip to finished muffin

    Always fade out in a montage
    If you fade out it seems like more time has passed in a montage...

    carrot muffins with cream cheese filling - muffin
    background fade for effect now

    carrot muffins with cream cheese filling - split
    too dainty for a fork

    From chopped walnuts, shredded carrots, and raisins plumped in hot water to miniature carrot muffins filled with cream cheese...that's how Team Sarah does a montage.

    Carrot Muffins with Cream Cheese Filling

    I suppose you could also frost these with cream cheese frosting and turn them into cupcakes because if there's any cake that's the same as a muffin, it's carrot cake.

    Preheat oven to 350.

    Sift together 1½ c. all-purpose flour, 1½ tsp. baking soda, 1 tsp.baking powder, ½ tsp. salt, 1 tsp. cinnamon, ½ tsp. nutmeg, and 1 c. sugar.

    In a separate bowl, beat 3 eggs and ⅔ cup vegetable oil until lightened. Stir in 1½ c. shredded carrots, ½ c. chopped walnuts, and ½ c. raisins that have been soaked for 10 minutes in hot water (or warmed rum, if you'd like).

    ** As a side note, the bestbestbest carrot cake I've ever had in my life was at Just Desserts in Berkeley. I used to go to the one on College Avenue, order an enormous piece of carrot cake and an espresso and (pretend to) study until they kicked me out. The carrots in Just Desserts' carrot cake were not normal shreds, like they were done on a box grater, but long and super fine, like carrot threads. Unfortunately, my little Japanese Benriner cannot make the carrots like that.

    In another bowl, cream 4 oz. softened cream cheese with 1 egg yolk, ½ c. sugar, and ½ tsp. vanilla.

    Fold the dry ingredients into the egg/oil mixture. Stir until just combined. Fill mini-muffin cups about ¾ full. Plop a generous teaspoon of the cream cheese filling on top of the batter in each muffin cup.

    Bake about 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake part comes out clean.

    ** a year ago today, there was no donkey at tia juana's **

    tags :: food : and drink : american : cooking : baking : recipes : los angeles

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. shauna says

      April 21, 2006 at 12:46 pm

      hilarious and delicious! you don't get too many montages like that :)

      Reply
    2. Tokyoastrogirl says

      April 21, 2006 at 7:53 pm

      These look like a combination of carrot cake and cheese cake.....which means I have to make them for consumption immediately. Thanks for the photos.

      Reply
    3. peachiee says

      April 21, 2006 at 9:08 pm

      I refuse to read the rest of this article because it will only ruin the hilarity of the title!

      Reply
    4. peachiee says

      April 21, 2006 at 9:08 pm

      I refuse to read the rest of this article because it will only ruin the hilarity of the title!

      Reply
    5. Colleen Cuisine says

      April 22, 2006 at 12:56 am

      Team America. Nice.
      I have a whole new respect for you

      Reply
    6. Cate says

      April 22, 2006 at 1:32 am

      I am so making these muffins this weekend... thanks for the recipe.

      Reply
    7. onetomato says

      April 22, 2006 at 3:06 am

      no offense to the carrot, but i want to take a spoon and scoop out the cream cheesy innards of all those muffins and shovel them into my mouth. yuuuuummy!

      Reply
    8. Catherine says

      April 22, 2006 at 7:24 pm

      Your montage is waaaay too cute! Looks delish, Sarah!

      Nice way to just have a couple of satisfying bites when they're made into minis.

      Reply
    9. sarah says

      April 22, 2006 at 9:59 pm

      shauna: credit for hilarity goes, of course, to team america, which, to this day, i can't believe i watched. not because it was bad (it was quite funny), but i rarely, almost never, watch movies.

      tokyoastrogirl: now the question is, can we make a carrot cheesecake? i have often thought about doing it, and i have seen one on the menu at the factory place, but just wonder if it would actually taste like carrots...

      peach: nothing to read. nothing to read at all...move along on now.

      colleen cuisine: respect? LOL! do you mean...disrespect?!?! LOL!

      cate: hope they turn out okay! and i think you should just go all out and frost them with cream cheese frosting. i have no idea what i was thinking to leave that off. :)

      onetomato: great. not you gotta go and offend the carrot. hurt its feelings and all!

      cat: just a couple? that's what i thought too. i swear that's why they were minis - youknow, tohelp with portion control on this silly diet.

      HA! i ate like...six? seven?

      *sigh*

      Reply
    10. Catherine says

      April 23, 2006 at 2:04 am

      seven's a good number, sarah. ;)

      Reply
    11. Anonymous says

      April 23, 2006 at 6:17 pm

      is it 1 1/2 carrots or 1 1/2 cups carrots?

      Reply
    12. Anonymous says

      April 23, 2006 at 6:25 pm

      anon: aaaah! it's 1 1/2 CUPS of shredded carrots. thanks for catching that. :) - sarah

      Reply
    13. joy says

      April 23, 2006 at 9:24 pm

      Dang, now I know what keeps going wrong with my desserts: no montage in the middle! That's why they keep ending up as still a pile of uncooked ingredients, even after the whole CD has finished playing and I'm already through two glasses of wine.

      Knew I was missing something. Need more montage.

      Okay, got it now.

      On the other hand, forget it, I'll just eat the pile of carrots and wash it down with cream cheese. :-)

      Reply
    14. Anonymous says

      April 23, 2006 at 11:55 pm

      joy: funny, sometimes that happens to me, too. all the ingredients are there, in fact they even make it out of the refrigerator onto the countertop. but somehow, they can never pull themselves together into a final product.

      *shakes head*

      lazy ass ingredients.

      ~ sarah

      Reply
    15. hermz says

      April 25, 2006 at 7:44 pm

      Aww man, I'm so disappointed. As I started reading the lyrics, I was hoping... no, dying for the final image to be blurred and faded. You know, to seem like more time had passed.

      darn.

      Reply
    16. sarah says

      April 25, 2006 at 9:53 pm

      actually, i was going to fade it out, but it didn't work out so well because i had an even number of pictures. so it has to pair with the one on the left. then the fade out wouldn't be that dramatic. you know?

      Reply
    17. kellypea says

      March 31, 2008 at 12:41 am

      Oh jeez, I have to make these. I've been trawling for the perfect muffin and this. may. just. be. it.

      Reply
    18. kellypea says

      March 31, 2008 at 12:41 am

      Oh jeez, I have to make these. I've been trawling for the perfect muffin and this. may. just. be. it.

      Reply
    19. Anonymous says

      July 15, 2008 at 11:27 pm

      was trolling for a good carrot muffin.. this had such potential.

      But i'm thinkin' that the baking soda has to be more like 1/2 tsp. I have to throw the first batch out.

      However, I may have to suck the cream cheese filling out before i toss them.

      Reply
      • Gracie says

        July 18, 2012 at 6:24 pm

        Why do you throw it out if it has too much baking soda? Is it bad for the baking process or the taste or the batter? Im new to baking so thanks for your help!

        Reply
    20. Anonymous says

      January 19, 2009 at 2:46 am

      YUM.

      I just made these, and the only negative was that I couldn't be alone with them.

      Reply
    21. Sarah says

      May 06, 2009 at 12:01 pm

      I am going to make this for my bible study brunch tomorrow! Yummy!

      Reply
      • Sarah J. Gim says

        May 08, 2009 at 1:24 am

        you'll have to let us all know how they turn out!

        Reply
    22. Lisa says

      May 12, 2009 at 6:49 pm

      I think I'm going to have to make these tonight, they look irresistible. As far as you know, the proportions are all accurate? I saw one commenter said there was too much baking soda...

      Reply
      • Sarah J. Gim says

        May 12, 2009 at 6:57 pm

        hm, well i made the muffins exactly as the recipe states, and they were okay. unfortunately, i don't know enough science of baking to know what too much or too little baking soda will do to something as hearty/strong as carrot cake. i'd think that it would just taste a little too salty?

        Reply
        • Lisa says

          May 12, 2009 at 8:49 pm

          Haha I don't know either! Maybe I'll split the difference...I'll report back either way. Thanks!

        • Lisa says

          May 13, 2009 at 11:42 am

          Turned out great, I used 1 tsp baking soda. Though mine were not as photogenic/montage-worthy as yours. But tasty!

    23. cakster says

      June 12, 2009 at 1:26 pm

      *drooooooooool*

      Reply
    24. Sarah J. Gim says

      June 12, 2009 at 1:38 pm

      Cakster: glad you like! now wipe that drool off your keyboard.. ;)

      Reply
    25. miriam says

      July 21, 2009 at 3:15 pm

      hmm... my cream cheese filling fell right to the bottom when i tried this. any ideas on what i could have done wrong? despite the appearance though, they were delicious!

      Reply
    26. Anonymous says

      August 01, 2009 at 2:11 am

      even rocky had a montage

      Reply
    27. Anonymous says

      August 24, 2009 at 5:13 am

      Fun little muffin-cupcake thing. Made them yesterday afternoon and got about 21 muffins (only fill normal tins ~1/2 way). I should've made more of the cream cheese part though but I have an over-developed sweet tooth so that probably isn't good for anyone else.

      Reply
    28. Diet Solution Online says

      September 26, 2009 at 5:23 pm

      That’s magic! It’s just as if I could smell your photos!!!

      Reply
    29. Paul Dreyer says

      December 22, 2009 at 5:38 am

      Made these for my wife's birthday in November, now my dad wants them for his 60th today. Yipes! They're really excellent.

      Reply
    30. Amycat says

      January 19, 2010 at 2:11 pm

      OMFG I made these last night and they were AMAZING. My boyfriend ate 4 of them at like 12 am before bed. And it was so easy to make too!
      Magical things.

      Reply
    31. Amanda says

      January 30, 2010 at 8:15 am

      My cream cheese fell to the bottom as well, and it didn't look nearly as thick as yours. I did use reduced fat cream cheese, so that might be it.

      Reply
    32. Jenn says

      March 07, 2010 at 7:57 pm

      I would use 2tsp baking soda, instead of both baking soda and powder.

      Also, thought the cream cheese was a hair too sweet (and I am a sugar crazy person). . .

      Reply
    33. Sarah J. Gim says

      March 08, 2010 at 11:09 am

      jenn: thanks for the tip - next time i do this, will try with all baking soda...

      Reply
    34. Cherine says

      April 27, 2010 at 8:30 am

      These muffins look insanely delicious! How many muffins does this recipe yield? Thank you! :-)

      Reply
      • Sarah J. Gim says

        October 27, 2012 at 10:11 am

        Cherine: the recipe made about 2 trays of micro mini muffins, so about 48!

        Reply
    35. HEATHER says

      July 24, 2010 at 9:59 pm

      WOW! Team America AND cream cheese! I'm in!

      Reply
    36. Lynn says

      September 02, 2010 at 10:35 am

      How many servings is this for?

      Reply
    37. Shoshanna Lee says

      September 16, 2010 at 12:43 am

      Awesome, mouth watering. Like Cherine and Lynn, I also want to know the servings we can get.

      Reply
    38. Rita Reyes says

      September 16, 2010 at 6:40 am

      Thanks for the great blog! I love it.

      Rita
      Gourmet Cookies

      Reply
    39. anonymous says

      September 19, 2010 at 3:09 am

      These look great! But wouldn't adding some yogurt/buttermilk make them more moist? Just a thought.

      Reply
    40. Seedplanter Designs says

      November 22, 2010 at 9:39 am

      Stop it. You're making me hungry!
      Your recipe is wonderful, and the photos are so delicious I could just stare.
      Looks like I have another favorite food blog to add to my list.

      Reply
    41. Amelia says

      January 21, 2011 at 1:03 am

      This is by far my FAVOURITE recipe for carrot cakes/ muffins/cupcakes etc. They are AWESOME!

      Reply
    42. melissa says

      February 14, 2011 at 11:48 pm

      These are fabulous! I've been making them for friends where I live in a small fishing village in mexico and they are a huge hit with the locals!

      Reply
    43. Lauren says

      February 17, 2011 at 1:46 pm

      What a lovely recipe. And, kudos for the Team America sing along.

      Reply
    44. melissa says

      March 14, 2011 at 9:30 am

      Does anybody else find that their cream cheese filling doesn't sink in enough and it just cooks atop the muffins? Maybe this is because I am making larger sized muffins with this recipe. However, I found a solution; I am inserting the cream cheese into large irrigation syringes and injecting the muffins with delicious cream cheese goodness!

      PS: blog writer: if you are ever in mexico I know a village who would love to thank you for sharing your recipe.

      Reply
      • Smcupp0902 says

        April 24, 2012 at 12:34 pm

        Mine did not sink. 

        Reply
    45. Joanna says

      March 26, 2011 at 3:23 pm

      There are some delights in life that are not easily put into words. Yes, they truly do require a montage. You use words so beautifully! I am inspired to make these muffins immediately!
      Delicious, intriguing recipes combined with a beautiful turn-of-phrase; I've found my recipe blog heaven!

      Reply
    46. Anonymous says

      March 31, 2011 at 9:17 pm

      melissa I'd love to know what your doing to get it to stay on top ! mine fell through to the bottom and left a hole in the top.
      tried a second batch and put a layer of batter I held back over the top of the cream cheese and it seems to have worked

      Reply
    47. Nick says

      April 06, 2011 at 3:18 am

      Last week I made these and they came out perfect (and delicious). Tonight, with same ingredients and procedure, they puffed up A LOT and the cream cheese frosting fell through to the bottom of each muffing. Has this ever happened to anyone else?

      Reply
    48. Jessie says

      August 02, 2011 at 5:59 pm

      I have a Pampered Chef julienne peeler, and it makes those long, very thin shreds. Maybe I will try those in these "muffins"!

      Reply
    49. Rachelrvn says

      September 14, 2011 at 10:46 pm

      I can NOT wait to make these! 

      Reply
    50. Kat says

      October 15, 2011 at 3:35 pm

      THANK YOU! I didn't have any carrots, and I don't like raisins, so I used banana instead(: I am so proud of myself right now. Love it!

      Reply
    51. Eggton says

      October 22, 2011 at 2:15 pm

      Awesome, thanks! I am obsessed with carrot cake.  In case it's of interest, here is the link to an amazing sweet potato nut cake with amaretto frosting.  It made me never want to go back to carrot cake again! 

      It's at http://eggton.wordpress.com/2011/10/05/halloween/.

      Thanks again!

      Reply
    52. Cynthia says

      April 22, 2012 at 10:08 am

      I tried the recipe and instead of using oil I used apple sauce to make the cake more moist. I also only used 1/2 a cup of sugar in the recipe and added about a cup of freshly cut pineapple and a cup of chocolate chips instead of the nuts and raisins to make it a more kid friendly dessert :) Just thought it might help.

      Reply
    53. Diane says

      June 19, 2012 at 1:54 pm

      I'm sorry to say that my cream cheese also sank to the bottom of my muffins.  They tasted good, but weren't nearly as pretty as the ones in the photos above.

      Reply
    54. Anissa Gooch says

      October 27, 2012 at 8:54 am

      THese look fabulous! I'm totally bummed that I can't pin this recipe so I won't be able to easily find it again (though I understand why you'd want to protect your photos from Pinterest pinners).

      Reply
      • Sarah J. Gim says

        October 27, 2012 at 10:10 am

        Hey Anissa - that's so weird that you can't pin the muffins! I don't have any sort of protection on it...but it looks like it's been pinned before, so maybe you can just re-pin this?

        http://pinterest.com/pin/21040323230493236/

        also, once you make the muffins, if you remember, you'll have to let me know how they turn out! some peeps have commented here that the cream cheese part sinks in too much....

        Reply
    55. Cindy says

      January 18, 2014 at 3:47 am

      have you ever tried freezing these muffins? these are a crowd favorite for a bake sale - would love to make several batches ahead of time.

      Reply
    56. Stacy Rose says

      May 04, 2016 at 4:09 pm

      Hi Sarah! this cupcakes looks amazing! i would love to save your recipe on pinterest but you don't have one... Thanks for great recipe

      Reply

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