Easter Carrot Muffins

Instructions

1. Prepare Ingredients and Oven

   Preheat your oven to 180°C using the fan/convection setting. Line a standard 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners or grease it well. Drain the 80 g of walnuts that you soaked overnight. (Tip: Soaking walnuts overnight helps make them easier to digest and removes some compounds we don't need). Chop the drained walnuts into small pieces. Ensure your 2 large eggs are at room temperature.

2. Combine Dry Ingredients

   In a large bowl, whisk together the 150 g all-purpose flour, 30 g cacao powder, 80 g sugar, 1/2 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp baking soda, a pinch of sea salt, and desired amounts of nutmeg and cinnamon. Whisking well ensures everything is evenly distributed, which helps the muffins rise properly.

3. Mix Liquid Ingredients

   In a separate medium bowl, lightly beat together the 30 ml milk, 2 large room-temperature eggs, 170 ml oil, and 1 tbsp vanilla extract. (Tip: Using room temperature eggs helps them mix smoothly into the batter. Using oil instead of butter keeps these muffins light and helps them rise well).

4. Combine Mixtures

   Pour the liquid ingredient mixture into the bowl containing the dry ingredients. Mix gently with a spatula or wooden spoon until just combined. Be careful not to overmix – a few lumps in the batter are perfectly fine.

5. Add Carrots and Walnuts

   Add the 300 g shredded carrots and the 80 g chopped, soaked walnuts to the batter. Gently fold them in using a spatula until they are evenly distributed throughout the mixture.

6. Fill Muffin Tin

   Divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups. Fill each cup about two-thirds to three-quarters full to allow room for rising.

7. Bake the Muffins

   Place the muffin tin in the preheated oven. Bake at 180°C (fan/convection) for approximately 20 to 30 minutes. (Tip: To check if they are fully baked, insert a toothpick into the center of one muffin. If it comes out clean, without any wet batter sticking to it, the muffins are ready).

8. Cool the Muffins Completely

   Once baked, remove the muffin tin from the oven, then carefully transfer them to a wire rack to cool down completely. (Important: Muffins must be entirely cool before you add the cream topping, otherwise the cream will melt and slide off).

9. Start the Mascarpone Cream

   Make sure your 200 g mascarpone and 100 g heavy cream are at room temperature for a smooth result. Whip the heavy cream until it forms stiff peaks. In a medium bowl, gently combine the room-temperature mascarpone with the whipped heavy cream. (Tip: Starting with room temperature dairy ingredients helps prevent the cream from splitting or becoming lumpy).

10. Add White Chocolate and Pistachio Cream

    Melt 100 g of white chocolate (e.g., in a double boiler or carefully in the microwave). Allow it to cool down until it is close to room temperature but still liquid. (Crucial Tip: Adding hot or even warm chocolate to the cold cream mixture will cause the chocolate to harden instantly into chunks, ruining the smooth texture. Ensure it's properly cooled!) Add the cooled, melted white chocolate and 1 tsp of pistachio cream to the mascarpone mixture. Mix gently until everything is smooth and fully combined.

11. Frost and Decorate the Muffins

    Once the muffins are completely cool, spread or pipe the mascarpone-white chocolate cream onto each muffin. If desired, garnish the cream topping with a little extra shredded carrot for decoration.

Enjoy your homemade Easter Carrot Muffins!