Pineapple Carrot Muffins

I recently made this in a virtual Cooking Matters for Families class with parents and preschoolers. These muffins were a hit!

Makes 12 muffins

Ingredients:
1 medium carrot
1 cup canned crushed pineapple with juice
5 Tablespoons canola oil
¼ cup cold water
1 tablespoon white distilled vinegar
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
¾ cup light brown sugar, packed
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon salt
Pinch ground nutmeg, pumpkin pie spice, or apple pie spice
Non-stick cooking spray

(optional: 1 cup chopped walnuts – or ½ cup raisins)

Instructions
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Rinse and peel carrot. Shred with a grater. Measure out ¾ cup shredded carrot.

In a medium bowl, add pineapple with juice, oil, water, vinegar, and shredded carrot. Mix with a fork to combine.
In a large bowl, mix flour, brown sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg. Blend well with a fork to break up any lumps.
Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients. Mix until just combined.
If using walnuts or raisins, gently stir in now.
Coat muffin pan with non-stick cooking spray. Fill each muffin cup about ¾ full with batter. Bake on middle rack of oven until muffin tops are golden brown and a toothpick inserted comes out clean, about 20–25 minutes.
Chef’s Notes:
• Use whole wheat flour for half of the all-purpose flour.

• To make these as a cake, pour batter into a greased 8-inch baking dish. Bake until top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean, about 30–40 minutes.
• This recipe does not work well when doubled or baked as a cake in any pan larger than 8 inches.