Ginger and Carrot Muffins

Snappy and nutritious, these muffins also boast enough ginger to quell the queasies. (Taking a whiff of the fresh ginger as you cook may also be soothing.)

1 cup whole wheat flour
¼ cup oat bran
¼ cup ground flaxseed
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground cloves
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
4 tablespoons canola oil
1 ¼ cups white grape juice concentrate
2 teaspoons peeled, grated fresh ginger
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 ¼ cups grated carrots
¾ cup golden raisins
½ cup chopped toasted walnuts (see tip)

Preheat the oven to 400 F. Line a standard-size 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners.
Place the whole wheat flour, oat bran, flaxseed, ground ginger, cinnamon, cloves, baking powder and baking soda in a mixing bowl and stir.
Place the eggs, oil, grape juice concentrate, grated ginger and vanilla in another mixing bowl and whisk. Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture and stir gently just until the batter is smooth; be careful not to overmix. Gently fold in the carrots, raisins and walnuts.
Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin tin, dividing it evenly among the muffin cups.
Bake the muffins until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean, about 20 minutes.
Transfer the muffins to a wire rack and let cool completely. The muffins can be stored in an airtight container for 3 days or individually wrapped in a plastic wrap and frozen for 3 months.

Makes 12 muffins

Tips: This recipe calls for a standard-size 12-cup muffin tin. These have muffin cups that are 2 inches in diameter. If you have two 6-cup muffin tins, you can use those instead.

Don’t like your muffins quite so strong? Omit the fresh grated ginger — or leave all the ginger out, and substitute 2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon. Like it even snappier? Increase the grated ginger to 1 tablespoon.

Nutrition Info:

1 portion (1 muffin) provides: