Tropical Mini Muffins with Carrots

Makes 24 mini muffins.

Ingredients:

1¾ cup organic white flour
⅓ cup organic cane sugar
2 rounded teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon finely ground sea salt
3 small organic sweet carrots
1 ripe banana
1 large organic free-range egg
½ cup organic whole milk
¼ cup sunflower oil
⅔ cup dried candied pineapple tidbits, diced
½ cup sweetened flaked coconut, packed lightly
¼ cup pecan halves, diced

Instructions:

1.     Preheat the oven to 400F.
2.     Line 2 mini muffin pans with mini-paper cups.
3.     Sift the dry ingredients together in a mixing bowl (flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt). Set it aside.
4.     Wash, peel and chop carrots into big chunks (about 2 inches long). Boil them until they’re soft (about 10 minutes).
5.     Whisk the egg in a separate bowl with milk and oil.
6.     Blend the boiled carrots in a food processor with the banana until they are a smooth consistency.
7.     Add the carrot/banana mixture (it should be about 1 cup) to the liquid mixture (milk, egg, oil) and stir until it’s smooth.
8.     Dice the candied pineapple and add to the liquid mixture.
9.     Add the coconut and the diced pecans to the liquid mixture. Stir well.
10. Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients.
11. Add the liquid mixture into the well of the dry ingredients.
12. Blend lightly. Don’t over mix.
13. With a small spoon, put the batter carefully into the baking cups in the baking pans so that they are a little more than full.
14. Put immediately into the oven, and bake for 10-12 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
15. Let them cool a little, top with Tropical Mascarpone Whipped Topping, and sprinkle a little shredded coconut on top.
16. Serve immediately while muffins are still warm and topping is fresh and cold.

Shortcut: use jars of puréed carrot baby food.

Tropical Mascarpone Whipped Topping

Ingredients:

1 ripe mango
½ cup fresh pineapple, diced
½ pint heavy cream
1 tub Mascarpone cheese, 8-ounce
2 tablespoons powdered sugar

Instructions:

1.     Put a metal mixing bowl and metal beaters in the freezer to chill.
2.     Wash mango before peeling the skin.
3.     Peel the mango, and slice the fruit from the pit.
4.     Chop the mango into small pieces and purée in the food processor (it should be about ½ cup of purée). Pour into a small bowl.
5.     Add ½ cup of diced fresh pineapple to the purée and mix them together.
6.     Take the bowl and beaters out of the freezer.
7.     Pour the heavy cream into the bowl, and beat it with an electric mixer until it forms soft peaks.
8.     Add the powdered sugar, Mascarpone, and mango purée with pineapple into the whipped cream one at a time until they are all gently blended with the whipped cream. Make sure to blend everything just enough so that they’re combined, but do not over beat the ingredients.
9.     Use on top of the Tropical Mini Muffins with Carrots.

Tip: This topping is best served immediately, but it may be chilled in the refrigerator for a couple of hours until you’re ready to use it.