My Morning Glory Muffins (Plus Some)

Ingredients

1.5 cup whole wheat flour
0.5 cup all-purpose white flour
2 tsp. baking powder
0.5 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. cinnamon
0.25 tsp. Salt
1 stick unsalted butter softened
0.25 cup granulated white sugar
0.25 cup brown sugar
2 eggs + 1 egg white
2 tsp. vanilla
1 orange baseball sized, zested and juiced
1 overripe banana mashed
2 carrot shredded, (about four large)
1 apple shredded, (about two small)
0.5 cup shredded sweetened coconut
1 cup dried cranberries plumped (allow dried cranberries to sit in warm water for ten mi
0.5 cup nuts toasted on stove top and finely chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin pans with paper baking cups.
In a large mixing bowl, sift together the flours, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.
(Any ratio of wheat and white flour works for this recipe, simply make sure to use two cups. You can even eliminate wheat flour all together.)
In a separate bowl, using an electric mixer, cream butter and sugars until smooth.
Add the eggs one at a time, mixing after each addition.
Mix in the vanilla, orange juice, and zest.
Using a spoon, stir in the banana, carrot, apple, coconut, cranberries, and nuts.
Add one third of the dry ingredients to the wet -stir with a spoon just until moistened.
Add another third, stir briefly, then add the rest of the flour mixture.
(Be careful not to over mix the batter at this point as glutens will form and make the your muffins tough. Fluffy muffins are better than tough muffins.)
Spoon the batter into the muffin cups. Leave ¼ inch for rising purposes. (These muffins don’t rise very much, but don’t be fooled -that doesn’t mean that they‘re dense.)
Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 20 minutes -switch the pans halfway through.
The muffins are done when the tops spring back when touched lightly. The tooth pick method also applies (stick it in, if it comes out clean -they’re done).
Allow the muffins to rest in the pan for about five minutes, then transfer them to a cooling rack to cool completely.