Carrot Cake Muffins packed with carrots, spices, raisins, and a surprise cream cheese filling are a favorite breakfast treat! Everyone loves these deliciously moist muffins!
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a muffin tin with paper liners or grease the cups with butter or nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
First, make the cream cheese filling. With a hand mixer or stand mixer, beat the cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla extract together until smooth. Place in the fridge while you make the muffins.
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, granulated sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves.
In a medium bowl, combine the oil, brown sugar, buttermilk, eggs, and vanilla. Stir until smooth.
Pour the liquid ingredients over the dry ingredients and mix until just combine. Don’t over mix, it is ok if there are still a few flour streaks. Gently fold in the shredded carrots and raisins being careful to not over mix.
Fill each muffin cup with about 2 tablespoons of batter. Add a heaping spoonful of the cream cheese filling to each muffin. Top the muffins evenly with the remaining batter, about ¾ way full. Sprinkle the tops with turbinado sugar.
Bake until muffins are golden and the tops spring back when gently touched, 18 to 23 minutes. Let cool and enjoy!