I can attest to the staying power of these muffins. My hubby & I ate them and eggs before a 65-mile charity bike ride. On this particular ride, we bested our previous time on the same ride. Plus they’re extremely tasty so you should definitely make these part of your morning muffin routine.

It’s another favorite recipe from King Arthur Flour.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup raisins (or similar dried fruit, like Craisins)
• 2 cups white whole wheat flour, whole wheat flour or gluten-free flour (King Arthur has a measure for measure gluten-free flour)
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2 TSP baking soda
• 2 TSP ground cinnamon
• 1/2 TSP ground ginger
• 1/2 TSP salt
• 2 cups peeled & grated carrots
• 1 large tart apple, cored and grated (peel on or off is up to you)
• 1/2 cup shredded coconut, sweetened or unsweetened (I don’t like coconut so I don’t add this. I’ve never missed it!)
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 1/3 cup sunflower seeds or wheat germ, optional (I use both & no walnuts)
• 3 large eggs
• 2/3 no-sugar-added applesauce (vegetable oil is used in the original recipe)
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 2 TSP vanilla extract

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375. Lightly grease a muffin tin or line with paper. Spraying the inside of the papers is a good idea.
2. In a small bowl, cover the raisins with hot water & set them aside to soak while you assemble the rest of the recipe.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, spices, and salt.
4. Stir in the carrots, apple, coconut, nuts, and sunflower seeds or wheat germ.
5. In a separate bowl, beat together the eggs, oil, and vanilla.
6. Add the flour mixture, and stir until evenly moistened.
7. Drain the raisins and add them in.
8. Divide the batter evenly (they’ll be full almost to the top).
9. Bake the muffins for 25-28 minutes, until they’re nicely domed and a tester inserted comes out clean.
10. Remove from the oven, let cool for 5 minutes in their pan on a rack, then turn out of the pan to finish cooling. Wrap any leftovers airtight, and store at room temperature for several days. Freeze for longer storage.

Some Options. Instead of vegetable oil, use no-sugar-added applesauce. Less fat, more fiber and sweetness. I also recently made these with dried apricots and I think I may like that option better. Experiment with the dried fruit you like best, you may come up with an option that is even better than mine!