If I had to name it, I would call fall the season of low and slow.
The days pass like all the others and yet nothing is the same.
The fresh mornings, fading evening light, cool breezes and falling leaves.
Words, images and childhood memories looking for a place to nest.  Fall steeps me in nostalgia somewhere before my beginning.
Most of all, it requires me to slow down.
Try as I might to expedite,  I’m seduced by the promise of a solitary woodland walk, the comfort of warm jasmine tea, the transformative power of a crackling fire and the simple, reassuring pleasure of cinnamon carrot muffins baking in my kitchen.
Amos Lee’s Colors is hitting all the right notes — nothing too loud please.  I’m feeling quiet, contemplative and grateful.
How does fall make you feel?
- 1 cup 100% whole grain rolled oats
- 1 cup spelt flour (or flour of choice)
- 1 cup fine grated carrots
- 2 heaping Tbsp wheat germ (or ground flaxseed)
- ½ cup plump golden raisins
- ⅓ cup palm sugar (or brown sugar)
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp nutmeg
- 2 egg
- ½ cup buttermilk (or milk beverage of choice)
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup unsweetened apple sauce
- 1 tsp vanilla
- Heat oven to 400 F.
- Using a food processor or simple grater, grate carrots into relatively small pieces.
- In a large bowl, combine: oats, spelt, raisins, palm sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and nutmeg.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together: eggs, buttermilk, olive oil, apple sauce, vanilla and grated carrots.
- Add wet ingredients to dry mixing only until combined.
- Grease 12 regular sized muffin cups (or lined paper cups) with a little olive oil (I use the spray for this to create a thin even coat).
- Divide muffin batter among the 12 muffin cups and top each with a few additional sprinkles of raw oatmeal and carrot.
- Bake muffins until they are just beginning to brown around edges and are firm to the touch â 16 to 18 minutes depending on the temperature of your oven.
- Allow muffins to cool slightly before enjoying.
1) You can easily make these muffins gluten free by substituting a gluten-free flour in place of spelt flour and using flaxseed in place of wheat germ.
2) Wheat germ is a simple and excellent way to enhance the nutrient content of recipes (desserts, casseroles, cereals, smoothies and baked goods). It delivers an impressive amount of plant protein by weight (2 Tbsp contains 4 grams of protein - almost as much as an egg) and is also an excellent source of vitamin E and folic acid. Other well represented nutrients include: phosphorous; magnesium, zinc and plant based iron.
3) Spelt flour has beautiful baking properties. It is a soft and silky whole grain that is related to wheat (and does contain gluten) however many who have digestive conditions other than celiac disease find it easier to digest than wheat.
Some of you may have noticed that Inspired Edibles has a whole new look! Â I hope you enjoy it as my as I do.
Moving to a new platform after three years+ of blogging is no small task and there is still work to be done but hopefully the transition will continue to move along smoothly – low and slow – and cause little disruption.
Thank you for your patience âĄ
It makes me feel very relaxed. Summer is always so intense and fast and then Autumn helps me to slow down a bit :)
I think that’s precisely it Marta. It helps us slow down, recover and just be again.
Finally I have time to catch up with Inspired Edibles! Your new look is so lovely Kelly, I think it suits your blog very well! I hope your transition went a little smoother than mine- haha!
I love this recipe!! It kind of reminds me of my carrot cake oatmeal in muffin form….why didn’t I think of that!!!?
I must admit I’m missing Fall while being here in New Zealand. For the first year in my life I haven’t gotten excited over putting together a Halloween costume. I haven’t gone to the muddy pumpkin patch to pick a carving pumpkin. I haven’t toasted pumpkin seeds on a cold October night or enjoyed a homemade chocolate cozied up on the couch. Of course Spring has been great here (can you say baby lambs EVERYWHERE!), but it’s just different!
I think I will have to pin these and make a batch when I get home in December…just to “catch up” with Autumn! xoxoxo
Hello Lovely! thank you so much for the delicious catch-up note. You always bring light to my day. It sounds like you have a return date… look forward to seeing more of you and KoKo’s kitchen! xx.
Well done on the new design! And even more well done — weller done? wellest done? ;-) — on these muffins. They look like my perfect breakfast!
thank you Julianne and happiest of birthdays to you!
Your blog looks gorgeous, and these muffins sound delicious with the carrot-oatmeal combo! I love everything about fall, even all the grey rainy days we get where I live.
Anna, your note is a brilliant moment in my day… thank you kindly for taking the time.
Not only do these muffins look delicious but they are so beautifully captured. They also make perfect use of season fall produce.. definitely a muffin recipe I need to test out in my kitchen. Thanks Kelly for the inspiration and recipe!
Thalia, what a pleasure to meet you. Welcome to Inspired Edibles and thank you kindly for taking the time to drop in and say hello. I’m touched by your words.
I’ve got carrots that need used for these immediately!!!!!!!
cheers Debra, hope you enjoy.
Hi Kelly
Not sure why it’s taken me so long to find your blog. It looks like its worth the wait. I love a wholesome muffin. These will be getting made this weekend.
Dave.
thanks so much David.
Fall is definitely crackling fires and a time of reflection for me. And I get super exited to wear my cool boots again!
Gorgeous new look on the blog Kelly.
I have a bag of carrots left over from a gig I did on Monday, this is a perfect way to use them up.
Hi Eva, thanks for your note and for dropping by to let me know you made these muffins! Always makes a blogger’s day to hear that and, bonus, that you enjoyed :).
What a great new look! It’s so you! Did you moved to Word Press or something else? Now matter what you’re using it looks great! It’s interesting because when I think of autumn it has nothing to do with childhood. I grew up in Louisiana which just doesn’t have a memorable fall. A memorable Spring – absolutely, but fall – nope. However, New Mexico has a breathtaking autumn with all of the cottonwoods that line the rivers and then 2 in my backyard. :) We also have a lot of ash and ornamental pear in our neighborhood, so we’re just moving into a golden, red fall. Your muffins do capture the colors and if fall orange had a scent, it would probably be the smell of these muffins baking in the oven. Lovely post Kelly!
Hi MJ, thank you for your nice note! Yes… after almost four years of blogging I moved from Blogger to WordPress… what a production (lol) but I’m so happy with the result and despite the sweat equity that went into it, no major horror shows for my followers (always worry about glitches that end up inconveniencing…) but overall really smooth and mostly ‘behind the scenes’ work. Now, if I could just find a bit of time to get back to the business of blogging!! :) xx.
Kelly, your new layout is so chic! Elegant, beautiful … and I am thrilled to discover this easy to use comment form. You have motivated me to change something in my blog too!
This post make me think so much of falling leaves and beautiful sunny autumn days (like the one we’ve had luckily today)… Your muffins look like an improved and 100 x cuter version of a carrot cake (one of my favourite cakes!). I love them and I think that if I bake this weekend, I know what I’ll be baking :-)
well thank you so much for all your kind words Sissi… I have not had very much time to work with the new platform this fall but I’m hoping things will settle now for a bit. I’m happy to hear that you’ve been enjoying some beautiful, autumn days… truly hard to beat the splendor of fall. You know it’s funny you should mention carrot cake because my son and I fashioned a little topping for these muffins — a makeshift mixture of yogurt, creamed cheese and honey that was very reminiscent of carrot cake frosting… so delicious :).
–Gorgeous presentation, Kelly!
I want some of these little gems w/ my coffee, please. xx
always appreciate you dropping by, xx
Loving the new look Kelly. Clean, simple, classy…just perfect.
Congrats!
thanks so much!
Beautiful Kelly, all of it! The writing, the recipe, the gorgeous photography and I’m simply in love with the new look. Sometimes I go onto websites and there are so many bells and whistles – things flashing at me and blocking my vision that it really distracts from my ability to enjoy and browse. Your site is such a pleasure – clean, fresh and classy. A treat for the senses. Autumn kissed is right! Keep up the great work Kelly, I’m loving it.
;-) yes, I’ve definitely had that experience too – the blocking boards are a problem and sometimes, try as you might, you just can’t get rid of them. Too funny. Thank you Clare ~ always love reading your notes and appreciate your supportive words.
Oh, Kelly this looks beautiful! How does it feel to finally have this up and running? Your new site is gorgeous. Love it. These muffins are perfectly autumnal as well :) xx
thanks Emilie! yes, it’s a huge relief — quite a process transitioning all the posts and harmonizing everything but I think for the most part, it went smoothly — there are still things to be ironed out but overall, it’s in pretty good shape :).
Beautiful refresh Kelly! A very appealing new look with crisp, scrumptious images … yumm!
Another fantastic post with beautiful writing, practical mouth watering recipe and outstanding pictures! Love your themes.
Keep up the great work and congratulations on this transition to your new platform!
Best Wishes,
Lynn xo
thanks so much for your enthusiasm and support Lynn! I’m excited about the transition too -xx
I just made carrot muffins…so good. And I must agree that fall does good things for my soul. Thank you for sharing sweet friend! Your blog always inspires me and your words encourage me.
Love your blog Monet — your writing and beautiful photos… come to think of it, I’m overdue for a little dose of LuLu :)
Wow your new design is so “clean” and inviting. We love to chat about your posts at work!
When it is an inspirededibles day of posting we are all gaga over your most recent sharing.
We love your work Kelly, you are so nice to have around! Hugs, Sheilagh
wow, wow, wow… la belle visite, la belle visite certain!! :O) Love hearing about the office dynamics (fully centered around Inspired Edibles as it should be – LOL!) Unlike many of my organized blogging friends, I don’t really have a posting schedule so it’s usually a surprise to me too when it’s an IE’s day :). But seriously, so delighted to hear that the blog is being well received and you’re very kind to take the time to drop in and share — xx. Truly appreciate it and *you*.
Oh Kelly, what a beautiful site! It’s so simple but classic! The muffins sound fantastic. I bought a huge bag of orgnaic carrots over the weekend for carrot cake muffins but I think I’ll have to make a batch of your version. I love fall, especially in Michigan. It’s one of my favorite seasons!
Hi Lisa, thank you for dropping by. I’m so happy to hear you’re enjoying the new look :). Funny enough, I made carrot cake “icing” – a version of it anyway – the other weekend with greek yogurt + cream cheese and just a touch of sugar (not the usual gobfest) it was gorgeous!
The new look is great from my mobile. I’ll have to check it on the PC later. You’ve captured fall perfectly Kelly, both in your words and your muffins. Delish! I too feel contemplative, slower and ready to settle in. :)
Great to hear that it came through well on your mobile Kristy :) thank you for the feedback. Ah, that settle in feeling for sure…enjoy.
Hi Kelly, I love your new look! and I love, love fall! unfortunately for me living in Florida, its just a slight change, no falling leaves or bursts of colors but nonetheless, I feel and enjoy the fall weather the very best! These muffins sound so healthy and full of flavor. I think these will make a nice treat for my co-workers.
yes, I know what you mean. Northern California offers a more subdued version of fall but you know we still get the changing and falling leaves (and the falling temperatures :) — I very much feel in fall mode. Thank you for your kind words and for stopping by.
Kelly, gorgeous new look!! I love the clean lines, the new logo (simple, elegant) and the enormity of the photos :) truly, it showcases your talent beautifully. Nostalgia is the perfect word to describe fall in my books too… I feel more sentimental than usual and so many memories get triggered by the different sights, sounds and smells (oh the smell of fall)… you capture it well in your writing and these muffins are the perfect representation — I have not made a good carrot raisin muffin in years and this one is calling my name. My kids will love it in their lunchboxes too.
p.s. I’ll have to look up Amos Lee – you’ve got me curious now.
Yay! So happy to hear your enthusiasm Elizabeth… always so generous with your words. I hope you enjoy these muffins (and Amos :) if you give them a try.
Oh Kelly, I love the new design. So classy and modern :) And these muffins sound so delicious…perfect for fall. You know how much I love the changing seasons…and last night we had our first frost warning. So great! That means more baking…wee hoo!
thank you Sandra, I’m really pleased with the way it turned out. I mostly just wanted a clean and open feeling and I think I got that. Enjoy fall you gorgeous pioneer woman you :)
Love the new look!
Fall is a beautiful season, leaves changing, but…. you know that for a native Brazilian the colder months are hard to take. My whining has not reached the highest levels yet because so far we’ve been spared of real cold weather. (knock on wood)
beautiful muffins, a perfect color for the season, the photos are amazing, food magazine worthy, all the way
Haha, best to stay away from Canada in the wintertime then lovely Brazilian lady – I fear those whines might escalate into screams ;-).