My husband always asks me to make this muffins…with Splenda, which it is not my favorite since I am not a fan of any kind of artificial sugar. I am a believer of eating everything…in moderation. So with reluctance I baked this muffins anyway, I only substituted part of the white sugar and kept the brown sugar amount intact. The muffins came pretty good and did not have a very noticeable “Splenda” taste. After all, if you are counting the calories this is an easy and simple carrot muffin recipe that can be warmed up in the microwave and served as breakfast. Please note that the Splenda that I used comes in a granular form, and on the label says: “measures cup for a cup like sugar; great for cooking and baking”.

Ingredients:
1 cup vegetable oil
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar 1/3 granulated sugar
1/3 granulated Splenda
4 eggs
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole-wheat flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3 cups shredded carrot
20 oz crushed pineapple (drained)
½ cup finely chopped walnuts (optional)

Method:
In a large bowl blend together the salad oil and the sugars, at this point it seems that the Splenda was not blending well with the other sugars, continue by adding the eggs one at the time beating well at each addition until blended. In another bowl sift together both flours, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and cinnamon. Add the flour mixture, about 1/3 at the time to the oil and egg batter, beating just enough to blend. Fold the carrots and then the pineapple into the batter. Add the nuts it desired. Pour approximately 1 tablespoon into small size bake cups (1 in). Bake in a pre-heated oven at 350F for 15~20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cupcake comes out clean. Cool the cupcakes out on the rack, let is cool completely. Makes 24 standard size muffins. By the way, the muffins can be stored in the freezer.

Did you know that Splenda (sucralose) is 600 times sweeter than sugar? Sucralose is an artificial sweetener that is commonly used in cooking and baking due to the high heart stability.