When I agreed to do another cooking segment on WICD, I was determined to find a recipe that both fit their Valentine’s Day theme and I wouldn’t mind preparing over and over. What better than a dessert fondue, the ultimate interactive dish wed with implied intimacy? Miniature muffins it is!
Of course, I underestimated the number of times I would be spooning minute amounts of batter into my mini-muffin pan. I still love my mini-muffin pan, but around the fifth or sixth batch, I was ready to throw one of those adorable muffins across the room. (Don’t worry. Maddie would have “cleaned” it up.) There should be a limit on the number of times you make a recipe in the course of a single week.
(Hint: It’s fewer than seven times.)
This recipe is modified from the one in this post. It’s the Lighter Choice. The even-MORE-healthified version, if you prefer. (And yes, I totally ripped off the first picture from the same post. It was too delectable to pass up.) Less sugar and oil means fewer calories, while pineapple and carrot add moisture and flavor. A Greek yogurt “frosting” dip high in protein completes the dessert ensemble. Chow down, m’dear reader.
What? You thought I would stack the mini-muffins like I always do? Tsk, tsk. I have more imagination than that.
Here’s to a healthy dessert!
Spiced Carrot Cake Fondue {Lighter Choices}
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 12-18 minutes
Keywords: bake snack dessert Valentine’s Day
Ingredients (36 mini muffins + 1 cup dip)
- 2 cups white whole wheat flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup canola oil
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups shredded carrots
- 1/2 cup coconut flakes
- 1 cup crushed pineapple, canned with juice
Frosting Dip
- 1 cup 2% Greek yogurt
- 2 tablespoons powdered (confectioners) sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare a mini muffin pan. Mix flour, baking soda, baking powder and cinnamon in a large bowl, using a sifter if desired. In a separate medium bowl, combine sugar, oil, eggs and vanilla. By hand or using a stand mixer, add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and combine. Stir in carrots, coconut and pineapple.
Spoon into mini muffin cups, filling about halfway. Bake for 12-18 minutes, or until centers are set and toothpick inserted in center of muffin comes out clean. Allow to cool for 5 minutes, then turn onto cooking rack.
Stir together yogurt, powdered sugar and cinnamon until creamy. Use regular or fondue fork to dip mini muffins in frosting. Frosting can be gently warmed; note that yogurt may separate if overheated.
P.S. Check out my cooking segment on this page.
P.P.S. Got a pic!
P.P.P.S. Looking for more Valentine’s Day recipes? Look no more!
P.P.P.P.S. Okay, I lied.
P.P.P.P.P.S. Thanks for your patience while I temporarily scale back my posts to once per week. I have a lot on MyPlate, so to speak.
P.P.P.P.P.P.S. This postscript is here only to set a THIH record for the most P.’s in a row. By about 200%.
Marie says
February 10, 2014 at 7:42 amNice work, Jessie!
I would have actually been disappointed if there weren’t a stacked muffin photo. 🙂
Dixya @ Food, Pleasure, and Health says
February 10, 2014 at 9:14 amGreek yogurt frosting dip sounds wonderful..Bailey is really good at cleaning too and I dont mind it at all.
Jessie says
February 10, 2014 at 4:41 pmAww, hehe 🙂 Bailey and Maddie are two of a kind!
Christa says
February 10, 2014 at 5:55 pmUm yum this looks delicious!! I love carrot cake and I find most recipes (and several store bought ones) too oily, but when it’s done well it’s heavenly! But I don’t have a mini muffin pan and no space to fit one in this kitchen. If I increase baking time to 20-25 mins and use the yoghurt dip as a more traditional glaze, can I bake regular sized muffins/cupcakes instead? Also, how can I use fresh pineapple instead of canned?
Sorry so many questions but it only means I plan to make this asap! 🙂
Happy Valentine’s Day to you and Peter Jessie dear!
Jessie says
February 10, 2014 at 8:58 pmHi Christa! Regular-sized muffins would work well 🙂 The dip would probably be a little runny to use as a glaze, so you might want to add something to make it stiffer, like cream cheese. You can definitely use fresh pineapple! If you do that, add a little water (maybe 15-30 mL) to make up for the lack of pineapple juice. Let me know how it goes! Happy Valentine’s Day! 🙂
rika@vm says
February 10, 2014 at 9:06 pmWhat a pretty photo of you! Happy Valentine’s Day to you and Peter! I love little bites 😉 especially carrot cakes!
Andrea@WellnessNotes says
February 10, 2014 at 10:56 pmGreat TV segment!
Sounds like the perfect Valentine’s Day dessert!
Joanne says
February 13, 2014 at 8:04 amI go a little crazy if I have to make the same recipe more than once…so I totally get it! Although these do look like seriously awesome little bites!
Tina @ Tina's Chic Corner says
February 13, 2014 at 4:41 pmHehe, I love all your “PS” notes. 🙂 Awesome idea to use cake bites for fondue. These carrot bites sound so good, I’m not sure they’d make it to the fondue. 😉
Jessie says
February 15, 2014 at 4:37 amThanks, Tina! 🙂
Ameena says
February 15, 2014 at 8:29 pmCongratulations on your cooking segment! What a huge, amazing accomplishment. I always admire people who can go in front of the camera because I would get tongue-tied! That’s why I work behind the scenes in TV. 🙂
The muffins look delicious!
kazi says
February 16, 2014 at 11:52 amGreat recipe . Nice work, Jessie!
Jessie says
February 16, 2014 at 8:51 pmThanks, Kazi!