Feminist Muffins

So I've had a craving for muffins lately, and the problem is that I can't seem to find any muffins that don't taste too sugary and too white and too cake-y. I like my muffins hearty. And so I've decided to try to invent my own muffin recipes to satiate this craving.

And this reminded me of an idea my friend Toni (sustainablecycles.wordpress.com) had to start a feminist muffin shop called Mighty Muffs. I think she was joking, but now I'm making feminist muffins. So there.

This one is in honor of Betty Ford. She just passed this last July, and she was an awesome lady for many reasons. First of all she was a dancer for Martha Graham in her youth, she was from Michigan, and even though she was married to a Republican president, she outspokenly supported the pro-choice movement, Equal Rights Act, and other progressive agendas.

*I did some research (post posting this) and it seems as though I went wrong in a few areas. 
1. I mixed the batter too much. It should be just moistened and mixed as little as possible. This should hopefully fix the texture issue I had.
2. To get muffins to rise, you need to cook them at a higher temperature. 425 degrees should create the burst of steam needed, although baking time may need to be adjusted accordingly. 
3. Also, maybe there was too much egg? I looked at some other recipes which only called for one egg, but don't cookies call for two? I was looking for the extra protein, but not if it messes with the consistency.
ok, continue...


MIGHTY MUFF PRESENTS:
--Betty Ford-itude Muffins, with carrots, cashews, and apricots--

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup unbleached all purpose flour
1 cup oatmeal
2 tbls flax seed meal
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp baking powder

2 eggs (beaten)
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup apple sauce
1/2-ish cup orange juice

1 large grated carrot
3/4 cup chopped dried apricots
1/4 cup chopped cashews

Mix all the dry ingredients, making sure to break up brown sugar clumps.
Beat eggs separately.
Add eggs and wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix until it's a batter. I had to add a few extra tbls of OJ to make it wet enough. As always with me, all measurements are approximate.

Stir in carrot, apricots, and cashews.
Put in muffin tins and bake for 12-14 min at 400 degrees.
These didn't rise at all, so go ahead and fill those tins all the way up.

OK, so granted, I am not really qualified to make up recipes...these were tasty (I just ate four), but the consistency was not quite right. Just a touch too moist/rubbery. And they didn't rise/puff up at all. And they could have gotten a better crust. So those with some baking experience can maybe help me tweak these so they are good enough to adequately honor Betty Ford. Thanks in advance for the help!

Also: Apartment Pictures. Living and Dining rooms!