A pun on my mystery ingredient - Apple Poppyseed dressing. I was out of oil, but I had a bottle of Girard's dressing, and feeling creative, as well as desperate, I substituted the Apple Poppyseed dressing for the oil, and voila! An incredibly delicious, moist, and sensory delight! Even before I popped then into the oven, they smelled wonderful - autumnal, shall we say. To kick up my cream cheese icing, I added a 2 teaspoons of the dressing and WOW, the flavor defies description - just delicious!
"Dressed-up" Carrot Cake Muffins Printable recipe
3/4 cup self-rising flour
1/2 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup Greek yogurt or sour cream (not low-fat or fat-free)
1/2 cup Girard's Apple Poppyseed dressing
2 large eggs3/4 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 cups grated carrot
1 cup pecans, toasted & finely chopped
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg (if you can, freshly grated, if not, ground is ok)
Preheat oven to 375 degrees
Line cupcake pans with paper liners.
In a small bowl, combine flours and baking soda, set aside.
In a large bowl, combine yogurt, salad dressing, eggs, brown sugar, carrots, pecans, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
Beat together until well-mixed.
Stir in the flour mixture.
Portion batter into cupcake liners - I made 20.
Bake for 25 minutes, or until a tester inserted comes out clean.
Allow to cool before frosting.
Apple Poppyseed Cream Cheese Frosting
8 oz cream cheese, softened
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
2 teaspoons Girard's Apple Poppyseed Dressing
1 teaspoon half & half
2 cups powdered sugar
Beat cream cheese, butter, dressing, and half & half together until light and fluffy.
Add powdered sugar, and mix until creamy.
Spread on cooled muffins.
