Following a Paleo style diet should not have to mean that you never have any treats – likewise, it should not mean you only eat Paleo style treats. A big part of this whole game is reducing processed foods, carbs and sugars. And, hopefully replacing all these modern nasties with real, unprocessed, seasonal food.
However, there are times when you will want something a bit sweet – whether that is a Sunday or as a bit of a carb hit after exercise I will leave that to you to sensibly include such things. Personally, I have found the ‘I have to earn my treat’ mentality a good one in that it means I keep more sugary foods in the post workout window where those carbs will be sucked up by my muscles and help me recover.
Carrot cake pretty much seems like some good middle ground here. We have some paleo flour alternatives with almond flour and desiccated coconut. These have no gluten, more protein, less carbs and far improved nutrient profiles to standard flours. Additionally half of the mixture is carrots – win win. We also have healthy fats from the coconut oil and eggs. It’s still a treat but it is certainly a better one than a Starbucks Muffin!
Paleo Carrot Cake Muffins
Right then, this takes about 15 mins to prepare and 35 mins to cook so it’s pretty simple. Hardest bit is grating the carrots but I use a magimix. You will want to mix the dry ingredients and wed ingredients together separately and then combine it all together to ensure the fat gets evenly distributed.
I use the american cup measurements as it just makes life nice and easy – you can grab a cheap set of these here or just eye it up with a small teacup.
Dry ingredients
- 2 x cups of almond flour
- 1 x cup of desiccated coconut (unsweetened)
- 3 x cups of finely grated carrot
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon nutmeg
- pinch of salt
Wet ingredients
- 1/2 cup of honey *
- 1/2 cup of coconut oil
- 5 x good eggs
* you can use less honey – all depends on how sweet your tooth is!
Instructions
Note: grate the carrot finely and don’t be tempted to use more than 3 cups or it does not quite work as well.
- Preheat the oven to Gas Mark 3, 170 Celsius (UK), 325 Fahrenheit (US)
- Mix dry ingredients together
- Mix wet ingredients together
- Combine the wet and dry ingredients
- Add the ingredients to a muffin tray
- Stick them in the oven for approx 30 to 35 mins depending on size of muffins
Enjoy
That’s pretty much it. Let them cool and they are great on their own, with a frosting of some kind for or even cut up and buttered with a good grass fed butter like Kerrygold. Just try not to eat the whole tray in one go and if you can keep them as a post exercise treat that you have to earn then all the better!