spiced carrot muffins

from Martha Stewart...I mean her staff.

I made these last night. They aren't too sweet. I think if I added more spices than recommended it would help. However, they make a great breakfast muffin. Not too sweet, but they are moist! I topped mine with turbinado sugar before putting them in the oven. It always makes things look yummier. And I had vanilla yogurt instead of plain.

Makes 12

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons pumpkin-pie spice
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup plain low-fat yogurt
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 large egg
2 1/2 cups shredded (about 5 medium) carrots

Line twelve cups (each 2 1/2 inches wide) of a standard muffin tin with paper liners; set aside. In a large bowl, stir together flour, sugar, pumpkin-pie spice, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.

In another bowl, whisk together yogurt, butter, and eggs. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture, and add yogurt mixture. Stir until just combined (Alton Brown taught me to stir no longer than 10 seconds...then walk away!) . Fold in carrots.

Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups. (If desired, muffins can be baked immediately in a 375 degrees oven for about 20 minutes.) Freeze until firm, about 30 minutes, then cover tin with plastic wrap, and freeze until ready to bake, up to 3 months.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Bake muffins (still frozen) until a toothpick inserted in center of one comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Transfer to a rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Keep a batch of unbaked muffins in the freezer, and you'll always have breakfast or an afternoon snack ready for the oven; there's no need to thaw. The batter goes in the paper-lined muffin tin, then into the freezer. Once frozen, the individual cups can be transferred to plastic storage bags. Be sure to bake the batter in a muffin tin, though, to give the muffins shape.