Morning Glory Muffins

Moist and absolutely loaded with mouthwatering bells and whistles, these scrumptious morning glory muffins are a terrific on-the-go option for breakfast, or as a snack. Made with healthy ingredients such as grated carrots and apples, pecans, crushed pineapple, shredded coconut, raisins and a kiss of cinnamon, this recipe is a beloved favorite you can bake up in your own kitchen!

Homemade muffins brimming with all the good stuff

One of the things I love about researching recipes for my recipe development is coming across interesting and beloved classics perfect for today's modern appetites.

While casually perusing recipes with a healthy-ish slant for some inspiration, I came across a version of a recipe for morning glory muffins, which, interestingly, I had never heard of.

Scanning some of the traditionally-used ingredients, my mouth began watering, and I loved what I saw. We're talking loads of sweet fruits, crunchy nuts, and even colorful veg by way of grated carrots. I thought these muffins sounded absolutely delicious, and just lovely to tinker around with in my own kitchen!

Since morning glory muffins are pretty much an “everything-but-the-kitchen-sink” style of muffin, made hearty and textured from the plethora of yummy morsels that they're brimming with, they're kind of ideal for breakfast. And the best part? They're actually pretty darned healthy!

So if a moist, lightly spiced, dense and delicious muffin loaded with lots of mouthwatering morsels piques your appetite as it did mine, then these delightfully craggy and chunky morning glory muffins are just the treat for you!

My recipe for morning glory muffins

If you've never heard of morning glory muffins (or have ever wondered what makes them so unique or delicious), the story is that they were created in 1978 by a chef at the “Morning Glory Cafe” on Nantucket Island, Massachusetts.

They became incredibly popular in the early 1980s when Gourmet magazine published the recipe. Folks just loved the sweet, moist and dense texture from ingredients such as grated carrots, apples, nuts, raisins, pineapple and shredded coconut. Talk about “everything-but-the-kitchen-sink”, right?

They were dubbed a sort of cross between a carrot cake and a spiced fruit bread. In my book, that sounds absolutely scrumptious! Sign me up!

What I love about these morning glory muffins is that the recipe is flexible. One can swap out some of the ingredients for others. For instance, you can use walnuts (or other nuts) in place of the pecans, dried cranberries or cherries in place of raisins, and sub whole wheat flour, if preferred. You can even sprinkle in a small amount of ground flax, if desired.

For my morning glory muffins recipe, I stay traditional with the grated carrots, apple, pecans, shredded coconut (I use unsweetened), and crushed pineapple. However, I use golden raisins in place of regular raisins, along with a touch more cinnamon and vanilla.

I also swap avocado oil in place of the vegetable or canola oil, as it's heart-healthy and also has a neutral flavor.

These morning glory muffins are moist, wonderfully dense and textured! Each bite is brimming with something absolutely delish and nourishing. They’re “brain food”, but with a sweet, slightly decadent twist!

Here's a sneak peek at how I make my morning glory muffins recipe:

(or just jump to the full recipe...)

1. To get started, I whisk together my dry ingredients, and set those aside.
2. Next, I whisk together my wet ingredients, fold in all of my tasty add-ins, then fold in my dry ingredients until the muffin batter is well blended.
3. I then spoon or scoop the batter into 2 (12 well) muffin tins (the recipe yields a generous 16 muffins), and bake at 425°F to start with (higher temp helps the muffins “rise” in the beginning). I reduce the heat to 350°F for the remainder of baking.
4. When done, I leave the muffins in the tins for a few moments, then transfer to a wire rack to cool.
5. I serve them slightly warm, for extra coziness!

Recipe

Morning Glory Muffins

by Ingrid Beer

Print Recipe

Deliciously moist and flavorful, these morning glory muffins are loaded with carrots, apples, raisins, shredded coconut and crunchy pecans!

Category: Breakfast
Cuisine: American

Yield: 16 muffins

Nutrition info: 318 calories per muffin

Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 22 minutes
Total time: 52 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• ¼ cup brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 tablespoon plus ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup avocado oil (or vegetable oil)
• 3 large, whole eggs
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 cups grated carrots (roughly 3 to 4 medium carrots)
• 1 medium Granny Smith apple (peeled or unpeeled), grated (about a heaping ¾ cup worth)
• ½ cup crushed pineapple, drained well of juices
• ½ cup shredded coconut (unsweetened preferably)
• ½ cup chopped pecans
• ½ cup golden raisins (or regular raisins)

Preparation:

1. Begin by gathering and prepping all of your ingredients according to the ingredient list above to have ready and organized for use.
2. Preheat the oven to 425°, and line 2 (12 count) muffin tins with paper baking cups, and give a light spritz with cooking spray.
3. To a medium-large bowl, add the flour, granulated sugar and brown sugar, baking soda, cinnamon and salt, and whisk to combine and blend well. Set these dry ingredients aside for a moment.
4. Then, to another large bowl, add the avocado oil, whole eggs and vanilla, and whisk until thoroughly blended and smooth. Add to this the grated carrots, grated apple, crushed pineapple, shredded coconut, pecans, and raisins, and whisk (or stir) very well to combine.
5. Next, add the dry ingredients (flour mixture) into these wet ingredients, and using a rubber spatula, fold them into the batter just until everything is well combined, taking care not to overmix the batter to avoid tough/rubbery muffins. The batter will be dense and thick, which is normal.
6. Scoop or spoon the muffin batter into the prepared muffin tins all the way to the top (filling each muffin tin cavity), until you have about 16 muffins (you may end up with 1 or 2 extra muffins).
7. Bake the morning glory muffins at 425° for 6 minutes. Then, turn down the oven temperature to 350°, and bake the muffins for about 16 minutes more (for a total of roughly 22 minutes), or until baked through, and a tester skewer comes out clean when inserted into the center of a muffin.
8. Allow the morning glory muffins to cool for 4 to 5 minutes in the muffin tins, then carefully place them onto a wire rack to either completely cool, or cool to “warm” before enjoying.

Tips & Tidbits for my morning glory muffins recipe:

• Freshly grated apples, for juicy flavor: I'm opting for a Granny Smith apple for these tasty muffins, as this variety offers a bit of tanginess to offset the sweetness. Feel free to use your favorite apple (such as Honeycrisp or Gala) as a substitute.
• Avocado oil for heart-health and neutral flavor: I love to use good quality avocado oil these days when a baking recipe calls for oil. I find it healthier than canola or vegetable oil, and very neutral in flavor. (I really like Chosen brand avocado oil, as it has a very neutral flavor, perfect for baking.) However, feel free to substitute vegetable oil, if that's what you have on hand.
• Drain your crushed pineapple well: Be sure to drain your crushed pineapple in a strainer or sieve for a few minutes. It helps to release some of the water/juice it's packed in. This will help to prevent too much liquid/moisture in the muffin batter.
• Unsweetened, shredded coconut: While you can certainly use sweetened shredded coconut in this recipe, if that's what you have on hand, I prefer to use unsweetened to avoid additional sugar. These morning glory muffins have enough sweetness in them already, and using sweetened coconut may add a bit too much.
• How to store these morning glory muffins: I typically just arrange these moist, delicious muffins on a cake plate and cover with the dome to keep them fresh. But you can just as easily place them onto a large platter or plate and cover with plastic wrap, or keep in a large glass container with a lid. They keep extremely well for several days, and remain incredibly moist. You can certainly freeze a portion of these after baking, once cooled, and store in a freezer-safe ziplock bag.
• Reheat for a fresh-out-of-the-oven breakfast: These morning glory muffins are a terrific on-the-go breakfast, and if you gently heat them in a toaster oven at 325°F to 350°F for 2 to 3 minutes, they're extra cozy!

Craving more cozy and delicious muffins? Check out my recipe for Lemon Blueberry Muffins, Cranberry Orange Muffins, Apple Muffins, Double Chocolate Chip Muffins, Banana Nut Muffins, or even my Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins with Streusel!