Morning Glory Muffins

We're in the beginning stages of writing the future menu for Flour Child Bakery, and right now I'm compiling recipes. Today I decided to work on MUFFINS! I already have a knock-out blueberry muffin recipe in mind. But I also love muffins that contain everything but the kitchen sink to give you a full belly and a good boost of energy in the morning. These morning glory muffins do just that. The original recipe is from King Arthur Flour Whole Grain Baking. It's a good jumping off point for me to figure out what I want and don't want in these muffins.

I love these because you can fill the liners literally to the tippy top with batter. You end up with nice big tops that don't overflow and spread to make one giant muffin top across your pan. You know what I'm talking about! The flavor in these is nice, but I'd like the coconut to stand out a little more. I also think adding pumpkin seeds would give them a nice boost of nuttiness. But they are quite yummy as is!Morning Glory Muffins (from King Arthur Flour Whole Grain Baking)
Makes 12 regular muffins (I got 14 even when filling the cups to the brim)

1/2 cup (3 ounces) raisins
2 cups (8 ounces) King Arthur whole wheat flour, traditional or white whole wheat
1 cup (7 1/2 ounces) light brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups (7 ounces) carrots, peeled and grated
1 large tart apple, peeled, cored, and grated
1/2 cup (1 1/2 ounces) sweetened shredded coconut
1/2 cup (2 ounces) chopped walnuts
1/3 cup (1 1/2 ounces) sunflower seeds or wheat germ, optional (I used wheat germ)
3 large eggs
2/3 cup (4 5/8 ounces) vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 cup (2 ounces) orange juice

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Lightly grease a 12-cup muffin tin, or line it with papers and spray the insides of the papers.

In a small bowl, cover the raisins with hot water, and set them aside to soak while you assemble the rest of the recipe. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, spices, and salt. Stir in the carrots, apple, coconut, nuts, and sunflower seeds or wheat germ, if using. In a separate bowl, beat together the eggs, oil, vanilla, and orange juice. Add to the flour mixture, and stir until evenly moistened. Drain the raisins and stir them in. Divide the batter among the wells of the prepared pan (they'll be full almost to the top; that's OK).

Bake for 25 to 28 minutes, until nicely domed and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven, let cool for 5 minutes in their pan on a rack, then turn out of pans to finish cooling.

Nutrition information per serving (1 muffin, 106g): 20g whole grains, 342 cal, 18g fat, 6g protein, 26g complex carbohydrates, 19g sugar, 4g dietary fiber, 53mg Cholesterol, 347mg sodium, 322mg potassium, 541RE vitamin A, 3mg vitamin C, 2mg iron, 47mg calcium, 131mg phosphorous.