Carrot Muffins with a Creamy Cashew and Toasted Coconut Top

I wanted to make some muffins today for our Father's Day picnic, and my mom mentioned that she would like carrot cake muffins, so that's what I made! :)

I didn't have any plain Toffuti better than cream cheese, so I though that I'd try using cashews in the icing. It took a little bit of work using the vitamix to purée the cashews, just because of the small amount I was using, but in the end the icing turned out great! Doesn't taste like cream cheese icing, but it has a great flavor that goes well with the muffin. 

                      

Preheat oven to 400 and grease or line a  12 muffin tin. 

Muffins 

You will need : 

1 Cup sprouted wheat flour

1 cup white flour

1 tbsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup raisins

1/2 cup shredded coconut 

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp allspice

1 cup shredded carrot

1.5 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup oil (I used grape seed)

1 chia egg (1 Tbsp ground chia, 4 tbsp warm water)

1 cup water

1 cup coconut sugar (you could sub this with raw or regular sugar if you don't have it).

Mix the chia egg, set aside.

Combine all dry ingredients in a large bowl (except sugar), along with raisins, carrots and coconut. In a smaller bowl combine oil, vanilla, water, coconut sugar 

and chia "egg" mixture. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and combine. do not over mix. Divide evenly amoung muffin tins and bake at 400 for 15 minutes if until a knife is inserted and comes out clean. 

Icing

1/2 cup raw cashews

3 tbsp vegan margarine

1 tsp vanilla

3 tbsp plain soymilk

1.5 cups icing sugar

1/2 cup toasted (unsweetened) coconut

Purée cashews, vanilla, margarine and soymilk in a high speed blender, food processor or vitamix until smooth. Transfer to a bowl. Sift icing sugar into the cashew mixture. It won't be a fluffy icing, more like a cross between a glaze and an icing. Spread icing on to cooled muffins and then dip each muffin into toasted coconut. Makes 12 muffins. Enjoy!