Easy Spiced Carrot Muffins (Fluffy and Moist!)

So, I didn't want to just go on and on about myself without at least providing you with a recipe at the end of this post.  This is another "preparing for my parents" creation, as they both enjoy homemade muffins.  I've made many variations of carrot cake and carrot muffins over the years, but they have always been other peoples' recipes.  A recipe of my own was long overdue.  The one that I finally came up with draws from my favorite aspects of the other recipes, but I tried to make my version a bit healthier by incorporating whole wheat flour and by replacing some of the oil with grated apples.  These muffins are not overly sweet, and they have a nice, almost chewy texture from the inclusion of coconut and golden raisins.  Pecans add a toasty crunch.  Here are a few extra tips for making these slightly sweet and healthy treats:

• Grating carrots and apples on a box grater can be a bit of a chore.  If you have a food processor with a grating disk, use it.  This is a major time saver, and you can grate both the carrots and the apple in one batch.
• When I add apples to a recipe like my spiced apple pull-apart bread, I tend to keep the peel on, but feel free to peel the apples before grating them.
• Depending on how sweet you like your muffins, you can use sweetened or unsweetened flake coconut.  I found that the addition of the apples, carrots, and sugar makes the muffins sweet enough, so I opted for the unsweetened coconut.
• This recipe makes quite a few muffins.  Seal some in sip-top bags and freeze them for up to two weeks.  Take one out in the morning (or the night before) to defrost for an easy and portable breakfast.
• I like to use safflower oil in my recipes because it has a neutral flavor, but you can certainly use canola, sunflower, or vegetable oil instead.

Preheat the oven to 375F degrees.  Line 24 muffin cups with paper liners.  In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, whole wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix both sugars with the eggs at medium speed until well combined, 2-3 minutes.  Mix in the safflower oil and the vanilla.

Stir the carrots, apples, coconut, and raisins into the wet ingredients until thoroughly incorporated.  Stir in the pecans.  Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing until just combined.

Spoon the batter into the muffin cups, filling them almost to the top.  Bake the muffins for 18 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center emerges clean.  Cool the muffins for 5 minutes in the pans and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely (or serve them warm!)