Pearott (Pear + Carrot) Muffins for Toddlers
If you listen closely while these muffins are cooling, you can hear a barely audible, “Squaaaawk.”
Just kidding. No parrots were harmed in the making of these muffins. (But some pears and carrots sure were)
If you have a toddler, you know just how tricky it can be to find something that sits perfectly within the Venn diagram of healthy (enough) and picky-eater approved. I like to make different kinds of fruit & veggie muffins and freeze them so that I always have a variety on hand whenever my picky-eater decides the thing she LOVED yesterday is now her least favorite thing ever and how could I have offered it to her?!?
Allow these healthy-ish Pearott muffins to relieve a little bit of that stress. They’re SO stinking delicious and have just enough fresh pears & carrots to make you feel good about letting your toddler go to town on them.
Ingredients
1 cup old fashioned oats
1 cup milk
1 cup white whole wheat flour OR ½ cup Young Living’s Einkhorn flour & ½ cup white whole wheat flour
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ cup coconut sugar or brown sugar
1 egg beaten
¼ cup coconut oil (or any neutral-tasting oil)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup fresh diced pears, washed & peeled (about 2 small pears)
½ cup finely grated carrot, washed & peeled (about 1 large carrot)
Instructions
Wash & peel pears and carrots. Chop pears into very small cubes, around ¼” and finely grate carrots. Using a clean towel, wrap grated carrot & squeeze out most of the moisture. Set aside with pears for later.
Preheat oven to 350. Line your muffin tin with silicone liners or spray lightly with oil.
In a large bowl, combine oats and milk and set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.
Stir the oil, egg, brown sugar and vanilla into the oats & milk. Add dry ingredients and stir until combined, then gently fold in the pears & carrots.
Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin tin.
Bake muffins for 10-13 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool & enjoy fresh or freeze for up to 3 months.
Tip: to reheat quickly from frozen, remove liner and wrap in a paper towel. Heat on ‘defrost’ for 15 seconds, flip over, then for another 15 seconds or until middle is no longer frozen.
Recipe adapted from Marisa Moore Nutrition