Carrot Zucchini Light Cheese Swirl (Printable)

Moist muffins filled with grated carrot and zucchini, topped with a creamy, lightly sweetened swirl.

# What You'll Need:

→ Vegetables

01 - 1 cup grated carrot, about 2 medium carrots
02 - 1 cup grated zucchini, about 1 medium zucchini, squeezed dry

→ Dry Ingredients

03 - 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
04 - 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
05 - 1/4 cup granulated sugar
06 - 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
07 - 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
08 - 1/2 teaspoon salt
09 - 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
10 - 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

→ Wet Ingredients

11 - 2 large eggs
12 - 1/3 cup light olive oil or vegetable oil
13 - 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
14 - 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

→ Cream Cheese Swirl

15 - 4 ounces light cream cheese, softened
16 - 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
17 - 1 tablespoon milk
18 - 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

# Step-by-step Directions:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners or lightly grease with cooking spray.
02 - In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, brown sugar, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg until evenly distributed.
03 - In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs, oil, applesauce, and vanilla extract until smooth and well combined.
04 - Add grated carrot and zucchini to the wet ingredient mixture and stir until evenly distributed throughout.
05 - Gently fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients using a spatula or wooden spoon until just combined. Do not overmix; the batter should remain slightly lumpy.
06 - Divide batter evenly among prepared muffin cups, filling each approximately two-thirds full.
07 - In a small bowl, beat softened cream cheese, sugar, milk, and vanilla extract until smooth and creamy using an electric mixer or sturdy spoon.
08 - Spoon approximately 1 teaspoon of cream cheese mixture onto the center of each muffin. Using a toothpick or skewer, gently swirl the cream cheese into the batter in a figure-eight or circular pattern.
09 - Bake for 22 to 25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the muffin body (avoiding the cream cheese) comes out clean or with only a few moist crumbs.
10 - Allow muffins to cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire cooling rack to cool completely before serving.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • They stay impossibly moist for days, which means you can actually enjoy them without feeling rushed to eat them all immediately.
  • The cream cheese swirl tastes indulgent but the whole muffin feels nourishing, not heavy, so you don't feel guilty reaching for a second one at breakfast.
  • You can bake a full dozen and freeze half, turning a weekend effort into weekday convenience.
02 -
  • Squeeze that zucchini like you mean it, because extra moisture in the batter is what makes these soggy instead of moist, and there's a real difference.
  • The cream cheese should be softened at room temperature before you start, because cold cream cheese will chunk up and refuse to swirl smoothly no matter how hard you beat it.
03 -
  • If your cream cheese mixture starts to curdle or look separated, add it a little at a time while mixing slower, because beating warm cream cheese aggressively is what causes the problem in the first place.
  • Use a standard ice cream scoop or the back of a measuring cup to divide the batter into portions, and your muffins will bake more evenly with less guesswork.
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