Keto Carrot Cheesecake Muffins

Ingredients

• ³/₄ cup full-fat cream cheese (180 g/ 6.3 oz)
• 1 large egg yolk (reserve egg white for the muffin)
• 2 tbsp Erythritol or Swerve, powdered (20 g/ 0.7 oz)
• ¹/₄ tsp vanilla bean powder or 1 tsp unsweetened vanilla extract
• ¹/₂ cup almond flour (50 g/ 1.8 oz)
• 2 heaping tbsp coconut flour (24 g/ 0.8 oz)
• 1 tbsp ground chia seeds (8 g/ 0.3 oz)
• ¹/₄ cup granulated Erythritol, Swerve or Sukrin Gold (50 g/ 1.8 oz)
• 2 tsp gluten-free baking powder (you can make your own)
• 1 tsp each cinnamon, vanilla powder and ground ginger
• ¹/₈ tsp each ground allspice and nutmeg
• ¹/₈ tsp salt (I like pink Himalayan)
• ¹/₂ cup pecans, roughly chopped (50 g/ 1.8 oz)
• 4 large eggs, separated
• 1 large egg white (use leftover egg white from the cheesecake layer)
• ¹/₃ cup + 1 tbsp virgin coconut oil or butter, melted (90 g/ 3.2 oz)
• ³/₄ cup finely grated carrots (83 g/ 2.9 oz)
• 20-30 drops liquid Stevia extract (NuNaturals or SweetLeaf)
• melted coconut oil or ghee for greasing

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 160 °C/ 320 °F. Line a muffin tray with 9 medium muffin paper cups. Grease each cup with a small amount of coconut oil or ghee. Prepare the cheesecake layer by whisking the cream cheese, egg yolk, powdered Erythritol and vanilla powder. Set aside.
2. Place all the dry muffin ingredients - apart from the pecans - into a bowl and combine well.
   I make my own chia seed meal by blending it in a food processor for just a few seconds until powdered.
3. Finely grate the carrot and roughly chop the pecans. Set aside.
4. Separate the egg whites from the egg yolks. In a bowl, using a hand beater or electric mixer), whip up the four egg whites until they create soft peaks.
   Place the four egg yolks into a bowl and add the leftover egg white from the cheesecake layer. Add melted coconut oil, stevia and process until smooth (the coconut oil should be melted and cooled, don't use hot oil). Process until well combined and start adding the dry mixture - a tablespoon or two at a time while mixing.
5. Add a quarter of the whipped egg whites and mix gently. Add the remaining egg whites and fold in the batter using the slow setting on your mixer or using a spatula.
6. Be careful not to deflate the egg whites and keep the batter as fluffy as you can. Add the carrot and pecans and slowly fold in.
7. Spoon the batter into the paper cups and using a small spoon, create small wells in the centre of the muffing mixture.
8. Fill each muffin with a heaping tablespoon of the reserved cheesecake mixture (about an ounce / 30 grams per muffin). Transfer into the oven and bake for 30-35 minutes or until the tops are set and golden brown.
9. When done, remove from the oven and place on a cooling rack. Then, place in an airtight container and keep in the fridge for up to 3 days, or store in the freezer for up to 3 months. Enjoy!

Nutrition (per muffin)