Optional ingredients:

Replace milk and brown sugar with 1/3 cup soy milk, 1/2 cup honey or light molasses and 1/3 c orange juice. If the egg is replaced with an extra teaspoon of Ener-G and one more tablespoon of water the soy-molasses combo should satisfy Vegans.

Replace one of the grated carrots with 1/2 cup chopped dried apricots and 1/4 cup chopped walnuts.

Method:

Pre-heat oven to 350 F and set out 3 mixing bowls: a large, a medium and a small one and a cup.

In the large bowl add all the dry ingredients and stir to mix thoroughly.

In the medium bowl add and stir together all the fruits.

In a cup make up the egg replacer with the water. Add the egg and mix. Add the oil and mix. Pour into the small bowl. In the same cup, make up the skim milk and add to liquid mixture. Stir the mix and pour over the fruit mixture. Stir this and pour into the dry ingredients. Mix the batter until *just* smooth and all the ingredients incorporated.

Spoon batter into a 9 muffin tin sprayed with a vegetable oil spray and bake for 30-35 minutes until the muffins test clean with a toothpick.

Some recipes recommend 25 minutes at 400 F. I had the best results with the following method: pre-heat oven to 400, put in muffins and immediately reduce heat to 350, bake 30 minutes, turn off heat and let muffins rest 10 more minutes in the hot oven.

These muffins will be moist and heavy compared to a standard muffin recipe.

Ener-G (Tm) egg replacer is lactose free and Vegan for those that are interested.

My next batch will have less cinnamon and cloves and more ginger plus just a little more sweetener.

Original Sources: Ener-G (Tm) egg replacer phamplet, San Francisco Chronicle [uploaded by Katherine Smith of Kook-Net] The New McDougall Cookbook [uploaded by Sue Smith]

Modifications and additions by: Jim Weller