My cousins Jeff and Beth Douglas live in North Carolina and are very active with their community. When I asked about a recent bake sale they participated in, Beth mentioned her miracle carrot muffins. She said they sold very quickly and that prompt me to want to make this recipe. It is an easy and a unique way to make the muffins, because the carrots and raisins are cooked and softened on the stove. I also like that there is no oil or eggs included. Not only are these very moist muffins but the orange cream cheese spread is a delicious topping. The recipe is 12 servings, but I like them so much that one may not be enough
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Grease or add cupcake liners to a 12-muffin tin. Whisk flours, baking powder and baking soda in a large bowl and set aside. After the orange is zested, set that aside. Juice the two oranges. Pour the orange juice in a glass 2 cup measure. Add enough water to make a combined mixture of 1 1/3 cups liquid and set aside. In a sauce pan over medium-high heat, combine the sugar, butter, carrots, raisins and spices
Add the juice-water mixture to the sauce pan and stir occasionally until it comes to a boil. Boil just a minute or two and turn off the heat. Using a spatula, add the hot mixture to the flour mixture and mix completely. Ladle the muffin batter (or I used an ice cream scoop) into the muffin tins.
Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool on a rack completely. Beth recommended serving the muffins with cream cheese blended with the orange zest. These are a treat any time of day!
*I used gluten free flour for my intolerance and that worked as well.