Do you love sweets too? And then keep thinking about the number of calories that would be. Join the club! I don’t have a sweet tooth but indulge from time to time. So instead of missing on indulging on these rare occasions, I try to make my desserts as healthy as possible.

I try using different grains and reducing or eliminating the need to use all-purpose flour or maida or refined white sugars. Hope you have seen my healthy Pumpkin Cupcake, Oats & Banana Muffins, and Oats Pancakes recipes. I have similarly made these winter special muffins with Carrots and Dates. I mixed Bajra (or Pearl Millet) flour here along with walnuts to make them even healthier. Do try these out and see if you like it as much as I did.

PREPARATION TIME: 10 minutes
COOKING TIME: 30-35 minutes
SERVINGS: 6
DIFFICULTY SCALE: Medium

INGREDIENTS: 

  1. All-purpose flour (or maida) – 1/3 cup
  2. Bajra Atta (or millet flour) – ½ cup
  3. Carrot – 1, grated
  4. Dates – 4-5
  5. Dry milk – 4 tablespoons
  6. Brown Sugar (or powdered jaggery) – ½ cup
  7. Cinnamon powder – 1 tablespoon
  8. Walnuts – 3
  9. Salt – a pinch
  10. Vanilla Extract – 4-5 drops
  11. Baking Powder – ½ teaspoon
  12. Baking soda – ½ teaspoon
  13. Milk – ½ cup, lukewarm
  14. Muffin liners

RECIPE:

  1. Peel and grate a carrot.
  2. Heat milk so that it’s lukewarm.
  3. Sieve all-purpose and Bajra flour in a bowl.
  4. Add dry milk, salt, baking powder, baking soda, milk powder, powdered sugar/jaggery and cinnamon powder to it and mix well.
  5. Add in the grated carrots and dice the dates and add them to the mix as well.
  6. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees for 10 minutes.
  7. Add a few drops of the vanilla essence and start adding small amounts of lukewarm milk using a tablespoon and mix well.
  8. The batter should not be too thick or runny.
  9. Take a muffin tray and place liners on the moulds.
  10. Add in the batter in the moulds till they are filled around three-fourth.
  11. Place a walnut on top of each muffin.
  12. Keep the tray in the oven and let them bake for 25-30 minutes.
  13. Prick a toothpick once the muffins are baked and it should come out clean. This means that the muffins are properly cooked.
  14. Cool slightly and enjoy.