October in sight means everything orange black and white – including this carrot cake cashew cream cheese for a little Halloween tease. Halloween is one of my favorite holidays for the ridiculous amounts of candy, even more ridiculous costumes and scary movie marathons galore. And one thing that’s particularly scary – how a little hocus pocus can turn cashews into a creamy base that’s oh so much better for you than the tubs in the store. It’s also a sly way to sneak in some carrots and can be slathered on your morning bagel or used as a healthy-ish frosting for Halloween treats. Read on to get the dEATs for how magically easy it is to create this crafty concoction. 

Come October 1, I’m officially ready to start the Halloween planning! We never got many trick-or-treaters in our old Chicago neighborhood, so I have high hopes for our new hood in Austin! It’s a teensy bit harder to get in the mood when it’s still 90 degrees outside, but I’m certainly not complaining. In fact, I most definitely will be gloating come January when it’s still 60 degrees. Sorry, mom. It’s gonna be sunny and I’m not gonna try to hide it. But, I do love a recipe that hides some veggies! Not only do I sneak carrots into this carrot cake cream cheese spread, but I also include shredded carrots in the base of these pumpkin muffins to feel a wee bit better about my ghoulish indulgences.

The beauty of this carrot cake cream “cheese” spread is that it can be ready in minutes as long as you soak the raw cashews in advance (i.e. ideally overnight). All that you need is a good food processor to whip it into a creamy spread and a cheese grater for the carrots. And the base of this “cream cheese” can be customized if you want to try some other mix-ins like blueberries for a fresh summery treat, or cacao for something a bit more rich and chocolatey. But why would you do that when carrots and raisins are oh so good and the colors are oh so fall? Because the carrot cake cream “cheese” is only sweetened with a touch of maple syrup, I feel good enough about slathering it on my morning English muffin like the ones from Mikey’s, which are gluten free and only made with a few simple ingredients like almond flour, coconut flour and eggs.

If you’re looking for something more indulgent, I also like oto use the carrot cake cream “cheese” as an icing on muffins and cupcakes. For the carrot cake muffins, I take a shortcut by using a pumpkin baking mix and add in shredded carrots as well as raisins. My favorite baking mix is the Simple Mills Pumpkin baking mix, which is also gluten free, paleo-friendly and made with simple ingredients like almond flour and sweetened with coconut flour, which is lower calorie and won’t make your blood sugar spike as much as refined sugars like cane sugar.

No matter how you spread it, I know you’re going to love this carrot cake cream “cheese” as much as me! Find the recipe below for both the carrot cake cream “cheese” and carrot cake muffins.

Carrot Cake Muffins with Carrot Cake “Cream Cheese”
Makes 12 Muffins

Ingredients:
Carrot Cake “Cream Cheese”
– ½ C cashews (soaked in water overnight)
– ½ C coconut milk, from a can placed in the fridge overnight
– ½ C desiccated coconut
– 2 T maple syrup
– ½ tsp vanilla extract
– 1/4 C shredded carrots
– 3 T raisins
– 1/2 tsp cinnamon
Carrot Cake Muffins
– 1 box of Simple Mills Pumpkin Almond Flour Baking Mix
– 1/2 C shredded carrots
– 1/2 C raisins

Directions:
Step 1: Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Follow the box instructions, stirring the shredded carrots and raisins into the batter. Pour into a muffin tin or individual silicone baking cups. Bake for
Step 2: Prepare the carrot cake “cream cheese” by adding the soaked cashews (drained of water) to the food processor. Pulse until it forms a creamy paste. Take the can of coconut milk from the fridge and scoop off the cream, adding it to the food processor (the cream and water should have separated overnight). Discard or reserve the coconut water for another recipe (such as a smoothie). While the processor is still running, add the maple syrup, desiccated coconut and vanilla extra. Continue to pulse until a creamy base forms. Place in a small mixing bowl and stir in the shredded carrots as well as the raisins.
Step 3: Once the muffins are cooled, spoon on the “cream cheese” or pipe onto the muffins by placing the “cream cheese” in a plastic zip lock bag, cutting a hole in one corner. Press the plastic bag to squeeze and pipe the “cream cheese” onto the muffins. Enjoy immediately, or place in the fridge. Note the “cream cheese” will melt in warmer temperatures.

And if you have other ideas for healthyish Halloween treats, share in the comments!

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5-ingredient muffins that are human and pup friendly? Yup, these GRAIN FREE BANANA MUFFINS are a dream come true for furry friends and furparents alike. And who needs frosting when you have homemade STRAWBERRY CHIA JAM? Save that good stuff for the pawrents, furbabes will gobble these up with or without jam. Impress all your fur-lovin’ friends by making these for your next brunch or furbaby party. Get the dEATs below!

I’ll admit, this masterful creation is all thanks to the hubs. They’re grain-free, clean ingredient muffins that are made with just a few simple ingredients: bananas, eggs, nut butter, coconut flour and baking soda. The hubs concocted this recipe while looking for:

1.) Paleo approved breakfast recipes that weren’t eggs (because who has time for that during the week?)
2.) Pupcake recipes for our bully’s bday (he’s grain free – so high maintenance!)

After many iterations, these have reached…perfection. It’s hard to say who loves them more, Jeb or Moose? And sometimes…they even share with me. Especially when I make my homemade strawberry chia jam to accompany these high protein muffins.

The jam is also surprisingly easy to make. So much so, that I sometimes wonder why I buy the stuff loaded with cane sugar – especially when fresh berries are so cheap in the summertime. It’s a great way to use up berries that are almost past their prime (you know, the ones you forgot about in the back of the fridge).

Note: While fresh strawberries are ok for your pups, your dog friends will probably enjoy the muffins just as much on their own. Think of the jam as a human treat – while not toxic to your pups, it’s also unnecessary to please your fur friends.

For reference though, here are a few of the fresh fruits that are safe for your loving pups according to the American Kennel Club.

Pup Safe Fresh Fruits:
-Strawberries
-Bananas
-Apples
-Blueberries
-Cantaloupe
-Cranberries
-Mangos
-Oranges
-Peaches
-Pears
-Pineapple
-Raspberries

When introducing new foods to your pup, always start with small amounts. Each dog is different. While the above may be safe for most dogs, just like humans, dogs can have unique z(in)tolerances to various foods. If your dog exhibits signs such as red eyes, itchiness or excessive drooling after eating new foods, make sure to contact your vet. When in doubt, be safe!

Moose loves these pupcakes and I hope you do too!

5-Ingredient Gluten Free Banana Muffins (Pet-Friendly) with Strawberry Chia Jam
Makes: 6 Muffins

Ingredients:
Muffins
-3 eggs
-9 T peanut butter (or your favorite nut butter)
-2 bananas, mashed
-1-2 T coconut flour*
-1 1/2 tsp baking powder
Strawberry Chia Jam
-3 1/2 C strawberries, quartered
-4 T maple syrup*
-2 T chia seeds
-squeeze of lemon juice

Directions:
Step 1: Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees Farhenheit. To make the muffin batter, mix all of the muffin ingredients in a medium mixing bowl until smooth. Grease a muffin tin or use silicone muffin cups. Pour the batter into the muffin tin or cups.
Step 2: Bake the muffins by placing in the oven for 20 minutes, or until golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool for a few minutes before removing from the baking tin or cups.
Step 3: While the muffins cool, make the strawberry chia jam. Add the strawberries and maple syrup (or date syrup) to a small pot over medium heat on the stove top. Stir to combine and continue heating until bubbling. Once bubbling, mash the strawberries, then add the chia seeds. Cook for another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally until thickened. Remove from heat and give it a squeeze of lemon. Allow to cool, then spread away!

Hope you and your pup enjoy these as much as we did!

*If Whole30 or Paleo, consider 1.) skipping the maple syrup or 2.) making a date syrup by processing 1 C of Medjool dates with 1 C of water and a 1/2 tsp salt.

The post Morning Muffins For Humans & Furbabies appeared first on The Shooks Life.