Maple Honeynut Squash & Carrot Muffins with Mascarpone Bourbon Glaze

Maple Honeynut Squash & Carrot Muffins with Mascarpone Bourbon Glaze

Sweet nutty maple roasted honeynut squash and fresh shredded carrots come together with a hint of cinnamon, pumpkin spice and a touch of mascarpone to create these ultra moist and tender muffins. Did I mention they are 100% refined sugar free?

Maple Honeynut Squash & Carrot Muffins with Mascarpone Bourbon Glaze

Serving: Makes 6 muffins

Ingredients:

Roasted Honeynut squash

• 1 honeynut squash

• 1 tablespoon neutral oil

• 1 tablespoon maple syrup

• 1 teaspoon maple sugar*

Muffin Base:

• ¼ cup grated carrot

• 5 tablespoons of neutral oil

• ¼ cup maple syrup

• 2 tablespoon maple sugar*

• 1 tablespoon honey

• 1 tablespoon mascarpone cheese**

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1 egg

• ¾ cup all purpose flour

• ½ teaspoon baking soda

• ¼ teaspoon baking powder

• ¼ teaspoon salt

• ¼ teaspoon cinnamon

• pinch of pumpkin pie spice (optional)

• 1 tablespoon almond meal

• 1 tablespoon flax seeds

• ⅓ cup roasted & mashed honeynut squash

Almond Oat Topping:

• 1 tablespoon almond meal

• 1 tablespoon oats

• 1 ½ teaspoon maple syrup

• 1 ½ teaspoon maple sugar

• 1 ½ teaspoon honey

• ⅛ teaspoon baking powder

• ⅛ teaspoon cinnamon

• ⅛ teaspoon salt

• 2 teaspoons raw sugar

• 1 tablespoon butter, melted

Mascarpone Glaze

• ¼ cup of mascarpone cheese**

• 2 tablespoons maple syrup (I like Runamok’s Bourbon Maple Syrup!)

• 2 tablespoons honey

• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

• splash of bourbon (optional)

• ⅛ teaspoon salt

Method:

Make Maple Roasted Honeynut Squash

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Prepare a foil lined baking tray.

2. Wash your honeynut squash and slice it in half.

3. Remove fibrous parts and seeds and place on baking tray. No need to peel the skin, its edible and also peels easily.

4. Drizzle 1 tablespoon of neutral oil all over both pieces of honeynut squash with a brush or your hands.

5. Drizzle maple syrup evenly on flesh side of the honeynut squash and sprinkle maple sugar.

6. Bake in a 425 degree oven for about 35 to 40 minutes or until squash is fork tender.

7. Let it cool. You’ll only need about ¼ of the whole honeynut squash to make one batch of these muffins.

   • Enjoy the rest plain or use the puree in place of pumpkin in any recipe.

8. Once cool, scoop out a portion of the honeynut squash and mash with a spoon until nice and smooth. Measure out ⅓ cup and set aside.

Make Honeynut Squash & Carrot Muffin Batter

1. Grate your carrots and set aside.

2. Combine oil, maple syrup, maple sugar and honey. Whisk vigorously until the mixture is creamy, opaque and homogenous.

3. Add mascarpone cheese and vanilla extract and whisk in until fully combined.

4. Crack one egg into the mixture and whisk until fully combined.

5. In a separate bowl, combine all purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, almond meal and flax seeds.

6. Pour dry ingredients into the wet maple/oil mixture and stir everything with your spatula just until no flour pockets remain.

7. Fold in mashed honeynut squash and shredded carrots until evenly distributed.

8. Line 6 muffin tins with paper liners. Portion out batter between 6 muffin tins. Set aside.

Make Almond Oat Topping & Bake Muffins

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

2. Combine almond meal and oats and blitz in food processor until it is fine. Pour to a small bowl.

3. Add maple syrup, maple sugar, honey, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and melted butter to the oat and almond mixture and mix until combined. Should be a loose paste like consistency.

4. Drizzle this topping mixture evenly over all the muffins.

5. Sprinkle raw sugar evenly over muffins as well.

6. Place muffins on the top rack of your oven. Place an oven proof dish underneath the muffins and fill with an inch or 2 of water. This helps create a sauna like atmosphere which prevents your muffins from drying out.

7. Let muffins bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes clean.

Make the Mascarpone Bourbon Glaze

1. Make the mascarpone bourbon glaze.

2. While the muffins bake, combine mascarpone cheese, maple syrup, tablespoons honey, vanilla extract, a splash of bourbon and salt. Stir until smooth and liquidy. Set aside.

Assembly

1. Let muffins cool for a few minutes and then drizzle half of the glaze all over the muffins. The glaze soaks into the muffin making it super moist.

2. Once fully cooled, drizzle remaining glaze and enjoy!

Notes:

• *If you do not have maple sugar, feel free to substitute brown sugar, but note the recipe will no longer be refined sugar free.

• **If you can don’t skimp on the mascarpone cheese, it’s so rich and delicious! But if you don’t have any you can get away with using a rich creamy yogurt like skyr or full fat Greek yogurt.