2 eggs, lightly beaten
2/3 cup white sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups shredded carrots
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon fresh grated ginger (or ground ginger)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)
Cream Cheese Icing: (Optional)
1/2 cup low fat cream cheese, softened
2 tbsp butter
1/2 cup icing sugar
_____________________________________
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease 12 muffin cups.
Beat together the eggs, white sugar, and brown sugar in a bowl. Mix in the oil, applesauce, ginger and vanilla. Fold in grated carrots. In a separate bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Mix flour mixture into the carrot mixture until evenly moist. Fold in 1/2 cup walnuts. Scoop muffin mixture into the prepared muffin cups.
Bake 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean.
While muffins are baking, in separate bowl beat butter and cream cheese. Gradually add the icing sugar until everything is mixed.
When the muffins come out of the oven, cool completely on wire racks before topping with the icing. For added decoration, you can make a cinnamon-sugar mixture and sprinkle over the top or sprinkle with extra nuts.
