Morning Glory Muffins

These are my favorite muffins... Laura made them once, and I was hooked! Using whole grain flour, and lots of goodies make them moist and delicious. Very filling with a glass of milk.

Morning Glory Muffins** Makes 12 large muffins oven ~ 375 degrees

2 cups white whole wheat flour (or 1 cup ww flour & 1 cup spelt flour)
1/2 cup demerara or sucant (dark brown sugar can be substituted)
2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt

Mix all the above into a large bowl.

1/2 cup raisins
2 cups peeled & grated carrots
1 large tart apple, peeled, cored and grated
1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
1/2 finely chopped pecans
1/3 cup sunflower seeds (or 1/3 cup wheat germ)

Mix the above together, and add to the flour mixture.

3 large eggs, mixed with a fork
1/3 cup buttermilk
1/3 cup melted butter
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 cup orange juice

Mix the above, and add it to the muffin mixture. Mix well so that all ingredients are moistened. At this point, you may put the batter into the refrigerator to sit overnight to bake in the morning. Spoon into a lightly greased 12-cup muffin tin. If using muffin papers, spray the inside of them.
Fill the batter to the top of the cup, as the muffins won't rise much.

Bake for 20-25 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

** These muffins can easily be made with food storage items. I've used 1 cup of dehydrated diced carrots (1 cup carrots w/2 cups water; squeeze out the excess water)
I've not measured the apple, but I would probably use 1/2 cup dried apples with sufficient water to hydrate them... you may want to experiment.
The butter can be replaced with oil.
Dried butter and buttermilk can be substituted for the fresh.
As far as the orange juice... I believe the acid in the oj is used to help break down the phytic acid in the wheat flour. You may want to try it with just water. I haven't done this yet, but imagine it would still be a wonderful muffin.