Streusel Carrot Muffins

I love baking and wanted to make something healthy for breakfast tomorrow.  These muffins were the perfect thing!  They were a great balance between sweet and spice with the cinnamon.  They weren't overly sweet and made with carrots, whole wheat flour, and flax seed meal are a healthy breakfast on the go!

Streusel Carrot Muffins

adapted from here

Ingredients

For the streusel topping

1/4 cup whole wheat flour

1/4 cup chopped walnuts  

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 tablespoon sugar

1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

3 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4 inch pieces

For the muffins

1 cup whole wheat flour

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup flax sead meal 

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon ground allspice

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 1/2 cups coarsely grated carrots, about 2 medium

2 ounces (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly

1 cup buttermilk (regular or lowfat or nonfat is fine)

1 large egg

Directions

Make the streusel topping

1. Measure the flour, flax sead, sugars, and salt into a bowl. Add the butter to the dry mixture. Rub the butter between your fingers, breaking it into smaller bits. Continue rubbing until the mixture feels coarse, like cornmeal. The more quickly you do this, the more the butter will stay solid, which is important for the success of the recipe.  Stir in chopped nuts.

Make the carrot muffins

2. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Rub the muffin tins with the butter (or use muffin cups).

3. Sift the flours, bran, sugars, allspice, baking powder and soda, salt, and cinnamon into a large bowl. Stir the carrots into the dry ingredients.

4. In a small bowl, whisk together the melted butter, buttermilk, and egg and whisk until thoroughly combined. Using a spatula, mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir to combine.

5. Scoop the batter into 8 muffin cups, using a spoon or an ice cream scoop. The batter should be slightly mounded above the edge. Sprinkle the streusel topping evenly over the mounds of batter and press it into the batter slightly.

6. Bake the muffins for 32 to 35 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through. The muffins are ready to come out when they smell nutty and their bottoms are a dark golden-brown (twist a single muffin out of the pan to check). Remove the tins from the oven, twist each muffin out, and place it on its side in the cup to cool. This ensures that the muffin stays crusty instead of getting soggy. These are best eaten warm from the oven or later that same day. They can also be kept in an airtight container for up to 2 days, or frozen and reheated.