Applesauce Carrot Spice Muffins (and Bread)

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I love Carrot cake and any type of spice bread. Maybe because I am borderline obsessed with cinnamon? Funny, I think my kids inherited that from me. I guess it could be worse...

So I found this recipe from Food.com and I wanted to lighten it up a little and make it a little healthier. I added flax seed because it's packed with omega- 3 essential fatty acids ("good" fats that protect heart health), fiber and antioxidants. The greek yogurt adds protein and this recipe has no processed sugars! Oh, and there are even veggies in there (carrots :))

Ingredients

Dry ingredients:

1 ¾ cups whole wheat flour (or a mixture of whole wheat and unbleached flours)
¼ cup sucanat (least processed sugar)
2 tablespoons ground flax seed
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
¾ teaspoon ginger
⅛ teaspoon cloves
½ teaspoon salt

Wet ingredients:

⅓ cup honey
⅓ cup unsweetened apple sauce
½ cup plain 0 % greek yogurt
¼ cup water
1 teaspoon vanilla

1 ½ cup shredded carrots (about 3)
¼ cup raisins (optional)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a muffin pan with non-stick spray or use muffin liners.
Mix together all dry ingredients in a large bowl. In a small bowl, combine the liquid ingredients. Add the liquid to the dry and mix just long enough to combine. Add the carrots and raisins and stir to combine.
Spoon the batter into the muffin cups. Mixture will be very thick. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.

**I made 24 mini muffins and 1 mini loaf of bread, recipe makes 24 mini muffins and 1 mini loaf or 12 large muffins.