I don't know about you but I get slightly miffed whenever I go to a Starbucks or Starbucks-style cafe and notice how people wolf down carrot muffins thinking they are 'healthy'. They should be, of course, but simply cannot be in this places because they add so much sugar to them.

So I came up with my own: they are yummy, moist and unless you use the (little, anyway) sugar we recommend, which is unbleached and demerara (the word 'brown' makes me want to tear my hear out for fakery reasons listed above). This is the really healthy stuff: healthy with brilliantly good ingredients. I love them and have them for breakfast, pack them for work (how's that for 'fast food') in some foil and even eat them with cheese in the evening if I feel like.

You need:

300 grams ground almonds

2 teaspoons sea salt

1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

1 tablespoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoons of (if possible freshly ground) nutmeg

1/4 cup olive oil

1/2 cup agave nectar OR two tablespoons Xylitol OR 3 tablespoons demarara sugar

5 large eggs

225 grams grated carrot

150g sultanas or raisins

100g sultanas OR toasted pine nuts

 

Preheat the oven to 170C

 

Whisk lightly by hand: the eggs, the oil, the agave (or sugars) until they are completely combined.

In another bowl mix the almond with the spices, salt, carrots, dried fruit and nuts.

Mix both together until thoroughly incorporated.

Place a tablespoons each of this mix into silicone muffin shapes: there should be exactly for 12.

Bake for around 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let the cakes cool thoroughly (around an hour) and then smear with a cream cheese frosting: a mix of cream cheese and, if you like, icing sugar (or even sweetener: since there is no cooking involved it will keep its flavour). Decorate if you like.