Carrot Cheesecake Muffins

Carrot cake and cheesecake in muffin form?! I think yes! These scrumptious muffins were easy to make and are a very shareable Easter dessert. Make for your family and friends without having to cut slices of a huge, messy, cake. I for one am not a huge fan of icing cakes, so this provided me all the flavors I was looking for without the extra work! These would also go great with a cup of coffee for breakfast… mmm yes, I think this will be a repeat recipe for me!

Happy Easter everyone, stay safe, stay healthy, and stay happy!

Ingredients

For the Muffins

• 2/3 cup oil
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon orange extract
• 2 eggs
• 2 1/4 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 1 cup finely shredded carrots

For the Cheesecake Filling

• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 4 Tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon orange extract
• 1 Tablespoon flour
• 1/2 cup diced pecans

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Spray a 12 count muffin pan and a 6 count muffin pan with nonstick baking spray, you can also use cupcake liners.
2. Beat the oil, sugars, and extract until combined. Add the eggs and beat again.
3. Stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Slowly add the dry ingredients into the egg mixture.
4. Add the buttermilk and shredded carrots and stir until completely combined.
5. Spoon the batter evenly in the prepared muffin tins.
6. In a small bowl, mix together the cream cheese, sugar, orange extract, and flour. Spoon the mixture evenly into a plastic sandwich bag and cut one tip off the bag.
7. Squeeze half the cheesecake mixture evenly into the center of the muffin batter, then add a swirl of cheesecake to the top of the batter.
8. Sprinkle the pecans around the outside of the muffin batter. Bake for 15-16 minutes.
9. Remove and let cool in the pan for 2-3 minutes before gently removing them from the pan and placing on a wire rack.