Everything but the Kitchen Sink Muffins... and the Train Park.

This delicious recipe for "Morning Glory Muffins" came from King Arthur Flour.

They have carrots, pineapple, coconut, walnuts, almonds, granny smith apples, and golden raisins. I also exchanged a portion of the white flour for wheat flour. Basically everything but the kitchen sink!!

I used 5in squares of parchment paper for the wrappers. If you tied little bows around them they would make a sweet little gift : )

And if you want to indulge, add a sweet cream cheese spread... it's like a glorified carrot cake!

And this is McCormick Railroad Park in Scottsdale. It is such a wonderful place full of history and lots of fun! It has an old presidential train, and 100 year old train depots that are now cute little shops and restaurants. They have kept the prices very reasonable, and I think we are so lucky to have something like this in our city!

So long for now!

Morning Glory Muffins- King Arthur Flour
( I exchanged 3/4 cup of white flour with wheat flour, and added pineapple )

1/2 cup (2 1/2 ounces) raisins
2 cups (8 1/2 ounces) white flour
1 cup (7 1/2 ounces)  white or 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
3 large eggs
2/3 cup (4 5/8 ounces) vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
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.

To make the muffins: 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).

To bake the muffins: 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