This is a sponsored post by Oléico High Oleic Safflower Oil. For more information on their amazing products, please visit their website at: http://www.Oleico.com. All recipes, reviews and opinions expressed in this post are deliciously my own!
Fall is quickly approaching, so it’s time for us to start thinking about sweaters, boots, pumpkin spice lattés, and all of those wonderful comfort food dishes that make us want to cozy up next to the fire and watch football!
Weekend breakfasts during the fall season are some of my favorite times. There’s nothing like sleeping in on a chilly morning, going downstairs, and warming up to a strong cup of coffee and a freshly baked muffin. My husband always makes the most amazing lattés, so I guess that leaves me to the muffins, with a little help from Oléico Safflower Oil!
I’ve talked before about the benefits of frying food with Oléico Safflower Oil, but today we’re going to talk about baking! I love the light texture of Oléico, and its mild flavor never overpowers a dish, so it’s perfect for every step of baking, from greasing your muffin pans to adding tons of moisture into your baking recipes!
Oléico Safflower Oil is also a good source of Omega-9 fatty acids, which can help to lower LDL (bad) cholesterol levels and raise HDL (good) cholesterol levels. Omega-9 fatty acids can also help to reduce inflammation and protect against heart disease, so I feel even healthier every time I use it! Check out their website at http://www.Oleico.com/ for more information.
(mixer/gear photo)
Today, I’m making some dense and flavorful carrot spice muffins with tons of texture and an array of seasonal spices. The recipe calls for almost an entire cup of Oléico Safflower oil, so you can bet they’ll be super moist and delicious! And, to finish them off, I’m taking these over the top with a big drizzle of cream cheese glaze! Nobody in my family can resist these every time I make them!
The recipe starts with all the usual dry ingredients; sugar, flour, spices and salt. But when I mix in the wet ingredients, I use 7.5 ounces of Oléico Safflower Oil for moisture and a super smooth finish.
After the batter is combined, I mix in all my favorite finishings. Crushed pineapple, shredded coconut, chopped pecans, and of course, shredded carrots are in the mix! I carefully blend those in by hand so the batter doesn’t get over mixed. Then, I drizzle some of that Oléico Safflower oil onto a paper towel and grease my muffin tin with that flavorless, odorless oil, so my muffins fall right out of the pan when they’re baked and cooled.
They only need about 16 minutes in the oven at 350°, and when they come out, they make your entire house smell like fresh heaven!
Once these cool, I always finish them off with a big drizzle of cream cheese glaze. All it takes is a softened brick of cream cheese, a hefty cup and a half of powdered sugar, and a big tablespoon of vanilla extract. I whip that all together and spread it on top of every single one of those lovely muffins!
I love serving these for breakfast, but they’re also great as snacks and desserts! This batter makes about four dozen muffins, so you can freeze and store them perfectly. Once they thaw, they’re super fresh and moist, thanks to all the Oléico Oil!
If you’d like more information on how to use Oléico Safflower Oil, or where to buy it, visit their website at http://www.Oleico.com/
Carrot Spice Muffins with Cream Cheese Glaze
Ingredients:
Muffins:
20 oz. Flour
10 oz. Granulated sugar
10 oz. Brown sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
3 tsp. baking soda
3 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1 tbsp. ginger paste
1 stick of butter, melted
7 eggs
1 tbsp. vanilla extract
7.5 oz. Oléico Safflower Oil
3 oz. chopped pecans
2 oz. shredded unsweetened coconut
4 oz. crushed pineapple, drained
8 oz. shredded carrots
1 banana, mashed
Cream Cheese Glaze:
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 tbsp. vanilla extract
Steps:
In a large mixing bowl, sift together the flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and pumpkin pie spice.
In a separate mixing bowl, combine the ginger paste, melted butter, eggs, vanilla extract, and Oléico Safflower Oil. Whisk to combine.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix on medium speed for about one minute. When the batter is mixed and smooth, stir in the pecans, pineapple, coconut, carrots, and banana by hand.
Prepare a muffin pan by drizzling some Oléico Safflower Oil onto a paper towel. Rub the paper towel thoroughly around the inside of the muffin tins. Pour the batter evenly into the muffin tins until each one is 3/4 of the way full. Bake the muffins in the oven at 350° for about 16 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Allow the muffins to cool completely before turning the pan over and releasing them from the tins.
For the cream cheese glaze: Soften an 8 ounce brick of cream cheese in the microwave for about 30 seconds. In a large mixing bowl combine the warm cream cheese, 1 1/2 cups of powdered sugar and 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract. Mix glaze on high speed for about one minute until smooth and then transfer the glaze to a piping bag or sealable plastic bag. Cut off the tip and drizzle the glaze over the muffins. Serve while still warm.