Tuesday, June 1, 2010

I'm Declaring it National Popsicle Month! Oh, and Whole Food Olive Oil Carrot Cupcakes

I told you I would, and I really am.

Hopefully, for your daily enjoyment, I will be posting the recipe for a Popsicle a day on this blog or my Whole Food Kids blog. It's June first, many of you have kids who are out of school for the summer, and what could be a better time to be inspired by Popsicles?

My first recipe for Popsicle month is posted over at Whole Food Kids. I call it the Iron Man Popsicle...

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...and you will see what effect that name had on the ten-year-old boy. To read the post, go HERE. Thank you!

Okay, now for the olive oil carrot cupakes!

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This recipe is a whole foods version of The Best Carrot Cake in the World recipe I posted in January. It felt great eating these cupcakes, not only because they are totally delicious, but because we ground the wheat into flour ourselves, and we dug up baby carrots from our garden, which were sweet and tender...

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To cut down on the sweetener, I served the twins these cupcakes "commando, or sans frosting, and they didn't seem to know the difference...

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However, if you feel a little more indulgent, I came across a whole foods recipe for cream cheese frosting yesterday at Elana's Pantry, made it, and used it...

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It was amazing. Hope you love these!

Olive Oil Carrot Cupcakes

Carrot cupcakes with olive oil and flax seed!

See Olive Oil Carrot Cupcakes on Key Ingredient.


Ingredients

For the cupcakes:
* 6 tablespoons whole flax seeds
* 1 ½ cups water
* 3 ¾ cups agave nectar
* 3 cups olive oil
* 6 cups whole wheat flour
* 4 teaspoons cinnamon
* 4 teaspoons baking soda
* 2 teaspoons salt
* 2 teaspoons vanilla
* 6 cups grated carrots
* 1 ½ cups chopped pecans (optional)
* 2 cups craisins (optional)
 For the frosting:
* 2 8-oz. packages of cream cheese
* ½ cup butter
* ½ to 1 cup agave nectar

Directions

Step 1: In a blender, blend flax seeds and water until smooth and creamy.

Step 2: In a large mixing bowl, combine oil, sugar and the flax seed mixture.

Step 3: In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt.

Step 4: Add the flour mixture to the flax seed mixture, and stir until well mixed.

Step 5: To this mixture, add the vanilla, pecans, carrots and craisins.

Step 6: Pour this batter into greased pans or cupcake papers, and bake at 350 degrees F until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. The time will vary depending on what size pan you use, but will probably be between 20 and 35 minutes.

Step 7: To make the frosting, let cream cheese and butter warm to room temperature, then add agave and beat with a hand beater until smooth. Frost cupcakes when cool.

Direct recipe link: http://keyingredient.com/recipes/327826/

Product helps I used for this recipe...


...and...

5 comments:

BarbaraJo said...

I am really loving your new holiday! I am on board!!

Funny Mommy said...

this looks divine! ...i am craving sweets like something fierce... here's to a healthy sweet-tooth! thank you!

ClassiclyAmber said...

Wow! Those look amazing~! And I love how healthy they are, too. I'm definitely adding these to my list of things to try! [BTW, I'm a huge fan of you using your OWN carrots and grinding up your OWN flour! How awesome is that?] :D

Emily Heizer Photography said...

hee hee hee hee "commando cupcakes" hee hee hee hee!

Those carrots are too cute. I have pulled up a carrot once in my life and it was the funnest thing ever. It was the only one I ever got to grow. Now I live in a condo with a concrete patio so I'm confined to growing things in pots so I do more flowers and trees than fruits and veggies. :(

I am trying tomatos and a couple peppers this year tho..

Jb said...

Is this cupcake month, too? ;)