These ABC Muffins (Apple, Banana and Carrot) are moist and delicious and full of sneaky fruits and vegetables. They are perfect for lunch boxes!
Apple banana muffins with carrot thrown in may sound like an odd combo, but trust me - it works! And the mixture of all those lovely juicy fruits and vegetables makes for a really moist muffin.
These are perfect for kids lunch boxes or an after school snack - and it's not just kids who will love them either! Everybody loves them in our house.
These muffins are on high rotation in my kids lunch boxes, along with Banana Choc Chip Muffins, Cheese & Bacon Muffins and Apple & Blueberry Muffins.
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Why you'll love this recipe
- These muffins are quick and easy to make in the Thermomix.
- They taste great but are loaded with fresh fruit and veg.
- They freeze really well so are great for batch-making and freezing.
- Kids will love them in their lunch boxes or for after-school snacks.
ABC Muffin Ingredients
The ingredients for these carrot apple and banana muffins are fairly straight forward.
A few things to note:
- Banana - opt for a very ripe banana for the maximum flavor and sweetness. One that is turning brown but not yet mushy inside is ideal.
- Apple - I like to use red apples as they are sweeter than green apples. A green apple will give a more 'apple' flavor, but won't be as sweet.
- Sugar - yes this recipe uses a whole cup of sugar. IF your banana is very ripe and your apple is sweet, you can probably cut this down to ½ or ⅔ cup. Experiment and see what works for you.
- Butter and eggs - make sure both are at room temperature before you begin.
See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
How to make Apple Banana Carrot Muffins
Step 1: Prepare the fruit and vegetables
The first thing you need to do is to coarsely grate your apple and carrot, and mash up your banana.
You can use a box grater for grating; a fork will do to mash the banana.
Step 2: Make the batter
Start by creaming together your butter (room temperature) and sugar. I use an electric hand mixer for this, but you could use a stand mixer too.
Then add in the eggs - one at a time and ensure each egg is fully incorporated to the mixture before you continue.
Then stir in the vanilla, followed by the apple, carrot and banana.
Now in a separate bowl, sieve together the flour, baking powder and salt. Now fold in half of the flour to the cake mixture, followed by the milk, followed by the remaining flour.
Step 3: Bake the muffins
Then you just need to divide it into a muffin tin that has been lined with cupcake liners. I find it easiest to use a cookie scoop for this.
And then pop them in the oven for around 20 minutes, or until a knife comes away clean.
Leave them to cool in the tin for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. No-one will blame you if you sneak one while they are still warm 😉
FAQs and Top Tips
Yes you can! Just put them in a freezer bag and put them in the freezer. I take them out in the morning and put them in my kids lunch boxes and they are defrosted and ready to eat by lunchtime.
If your banana is very ripe and your apple is sweet, you can probably cut this down by up to half. Note that this may affect the consistency of the muffins. Experiment and see what works for you.
I like to use red apples (like a Royal Gala or Pink Lady) as they are sweeter than green apples. A green apple will give a more 'apple' flavor, but won't be as sweet.
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ABC Muffins
Equipment
- Measuring Spoons and Measuring Cups
- Cupcake Liners
- Cookie Scoop
- Electric Hand Mixer
Ingredients
- ½ cup butter 125g
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 apple coarsely grated
- 1 carrot coarsely grated
- 1 banana mashed
- 2 cups all purpose flour (plain flour)
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup milk
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 370F / 180C.
- Cream together the butter and sugar until fluffy.
- Add the eggs, one at a time, ensuring each is fully incorporated until continuing.
- Stir in the vanilla extract.
- Stir in the apple, banana and carrot.
- In a separate bowl sieve together the flour, baking powder and salt.
- Fold in half the flour mixture, followed by the milk, followed by the remaining flour mixture.
- Use an ice cream scoop to divide mixture into a muffin pan lined with cases.
- Bake in the oven for around 20 minutes, or until an inserted knife comes away clean.
Video
Notes
- These muffins freeze really well and so are perfect for batch-making. Freeze in an airtight bag or container for up to 3 months.
- I prefer red apples for this recipe as they are sweeter. You can also use green apples - they will give a stronger apple flavour but will be less sweet.
- You can experiment with reducing the sugar in this recipe, especially if you have a ripe banana and sweet apple. Note that reducing the sugar might affect the consistency of the batter/muffin.
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