What Type Of Oil: <\/strong>We tested this with avocado oil, vegetable oil, canola oil, and coconut oil. (!!) I loved the coconut oil \u2013 it gave a supremely delicious, buttery texture when warm, but they became firm and dry as they cooled. Since I\u2019m guessing most of us would be making these ahead of time to take to a gathering, I wanted these to be baked with an oil that would stay soft and moist even when cooled. With that in mind, canola oil is a good choice because it stays soft and moist for several days.<\/p>\n Carrot Amounts:<\/strong> You can get a lot of variation with carrot sizes! I made this many times, and I highly recommend weighing the carrots if you can \u2013 I use this scale (super easy to use). I weigh them after I peel them and cut tops off, so I know exactly how much carrot (and flour, and sugar) I\u2019m adding to the recipe.<\/p>\n Making Carrot Toppers:<\/strong> Optional, but my sister did this years ago (idea from Sally\u2019s Baking Addiction) and it\u2019s the cutest. Here\u2019s my method for it: melt 3 squares of almond bark in the microwave for 90 seconds, checking it at 30 second increments. (Almond bark is much easier to use than white chocolate, in my experience.) Divide it between two bowls and use gel food coloring to make a light orange (a few drops of red + a few drops of yellow) and a green. Transfer the orange to a baggie, snip the corner, and pipe out small triangle-shaped squiggles onto parchment or wax paper. Then, do the same for green. I placed a small green dot at the top of the carrot and using a toothpick to fan it out into a 3-pronged carrot top. They\u2019ll cool in about 20 minutes and be ready to pop onto your cupcakes!<\/p>\n Sweetness of the Frosting: <\/strong>If you find the cream cheese frosting to be too sweet for your liking, you can make some whipped cream and fold it into the cream cheese frosting to make it more fluffy and butter rather than more sweet. Great idea from a commenter recently!<\/p>\n Liners vs. no liners:<\/strong> I prefer to bake these without paper liners \u2013 they get a nice little crispy ridge, and the contrast of the chewy, slightly caramelized exterior is the perfect contrast with the fluffy insides! Like so! ![\"Carrot](\"https:\/\/pinchofyum.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Crispy-Cupcake-Edge.jpg\")
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