Morning Glory Muffins

These morning glory muffins are hearty, easy to pull together, and make for the most delicious grab-and-go breakfast!

The morning glory muffin was actually first created by Chef Pam McKinstry of Morning Glory Cafe in 1978. While I could have come up with a handful of possible reasons these delicious muffins are referred to as “morning glory muffins,” it seems as though the real reason is simply just because they were the signature muffin at Morning Glory Cafe.

These morning glory muffins taste like a combination of spice cake, apple cake, and carrot cake. They’re moist, delicious, and so, so cozy! Part of what sets morning glory muffins apart from any other muffin recipe is all of the really delicious ingredients that they’re loaded with. They make for a hearty breakfast, and *bonus*, they’re definitely a kiddo favorite (at least at my house!).

Recipe Ingredients

The list of ingredients may seem long at first glance, but that’s just because these muffins are packed with all kinds of really yummy, nourishing ingredients — these aren’t your average flour + sugar + fruit-only muffins. Here’s everything you’ll need:

• Flour – to start, you’ll need 1 ¾ cups of flour (we use THIS one for gluten-free).
• Carrots – 2 cups of shredded carrots head into the muffin mixture. We definitely recommend shredding your carrots either by hand or in a food processor. While we’re typically all for shortcuts (like buying pre-shredded carrots), shredding your own will definitely yield the moistest muffins here. 
• Green Apple – 1 large, shredded green apple adds some really yummy texture and acts as a nice counter to the sweetness of the muffins.
• Applesauce – a ½ of a cup of unsweetened applesauce (1 4-ounce pack) moistens the muffin batter.
• Eggs – to bind the muffins together, you’ll need 2 eggs.
• Raisins – a ½ of a cup of raisins head into the batter too. I recommend soaking your raisins ahead of time (to do this, just microwave 1 cup water for 1 minute, pour the raisins in, and let them soak for 5-10 minutes). This will allow the raisins to soften and add some really great texture to the muffins.
• Chopped Pecans – a ½ of a cup of chopped pecans adds delicious flavor, texture, and healthy fats to the finished muffins.
• Shredded Coconut – another texture add! Throw in a ½ of a cup of shredded unsweetened coconut too!
• Butter or Coconut Oil – you’ll also need 5 tablespoons of either melted butter or coconut oil.
• Ground Flax – a ¼ cup of ground flax heads into the mixture as well.
• Orange Juice – a ¼ cup of orange juice brings a really delicious flavor to the muffins.
• Orange Zest – if you have it, throw in a tablespoon of orange zest too!
• Baking Soda – 2 teaspoons of baking soda help the muffins to rise just a tinge.
• Vanilla Extract – 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract give the muffins a subtle hint of vanilla.
• Spices and Seasonings – as far as the seasonings needed here,  you’ll want to grab a ½ teaspoon of salt, 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, and a ½ teaspoon of ground ginger.

Ingredient Modifications

There are a lot of ways to make this recipe your own. I’ve listed a few swaps and subs you can make below, but again, feel free to let your imagination run wild!

• Make them gluten-free: just swap the all-purpose flour for a GF all-purpose! 
• Use another dried fruit: swap the raisins for dried cranberries or dried blueberries for a fun twist.
• Use pumpkin puree or mashed banana: instead of unsweetened applesauce, use canned pumpkin puree or mashed banana!
• Use a different nut: any chopped nut will do here, so take your pick!
• Use zucchini: if you aren’t a fan of carrots, use shredded zucchini instead. Just be sure to squeeze out any excess moisture from it.
• Use a different liquid: instead of orange juice, use milk or pineapple juice to moisten your muffins!

How To Make

Here’s how you’ll make these hearty, nutritious muffins:

1. Preheat the oven and line a muffin tin – to start, go ahead and preheat your oven to 375°F and line a muffin tin with muffin liners.
2. Soak the raisins – microwave 1 cup of water for 1 minute, add the raisins to the hot water, and let them soak for 5-10 minutes while you shred the carrots and apple.
3. Shred the carrots and apple – either by hand (using a grater) or in your food processor (my preferred method!), shred the carrots and apples. 
4. Mix together the dry ingredients – to a large bowl, add the flour, brown sugar, ground flax, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and ground ginger, and whisk to combine.
5. Add the carrots and apples to the dry mixture – to the dry ingredients, add the shredded carrots and apple, and mix until well combined.
6. Mix together the wet ingredients – to a separate bowl, add the applesauce, eggs, vanilla extract, butter (or coconut oil), and orange juice. Then whisk to combine.
7. Combine the wet ingredients with the carrot and apple mixture – pour the wet ingredients into the carrot, apple, and dry ingredient mixture. Mix until just combined.
8. Add the raisins, coconut, and pecans – add the raisins, shredded coconut, and chopped pecans to the bowl, folding them in until just combined.
9. Spoon the batter into muffin tins – spoon the morning glory batter into the lined muffin tins — this amount of batter makes 21 muffins.
10. Bake – bake the muffins at 375°F for 23-25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into a muffin comes out clean.
11. Enjoy!

Frequently Asked Questions

More Favorite Muffin Recipes

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Morning Glory Muffins

4.75 — Votes 4 votes

By Brandi Schilhab

Prep: 20 minutes mins

Cook: 23 minutes mins

Servings: 21 muffins

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These morning glory muffins are hearty, easy to pull together, and make for the most delicious grab-and-go breakfast!

Ingredients  

1x2x3x

• ▢ ½ cup raisins
• ▢ 4 whole carrots or 2 cups shredded
• ▢ 1 large green apple
• ▢ 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
• ▢ 1 cup brown sugar
• ▢ ¼ cup ground flax
• ▢ 2 teaspoons baking soda
• ▢ 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• ▢ ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• ▢ ½ teaspoon salt
• ▢ ½ cup unsweetened applesauce
• ▢ ¼ cup orange juice
• ▢ 2 large eggs
• ▢ 5 tablespoons butter or coconut oil melted
• ▢ 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• ▢ ½ cup shredded unsweetened coconut
• ▢ ½ cup chopped pecans

Instructions 

• Preheat the oven to 375°F and line a muffin tin with muffin liners.
• Microwave 1 cup of water for 1 minute, add the raisins to the hot water, and let them soak for 5-10 minutes while you shred the carrots and apple.
• Either by hand (using a box grater) or in your food processor, shred the carrots and apples.
• To a large bowl, add the flour, brown sugar, ground flax, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and ground ginger, and whisk to combine.
• To the dry ingredients, add the shredded carrots and apple, and mix until well combined.
• To a separate bowl, add the applesauce, eggs, vanilla extract, butter (or coconut oil), and orange juice, then whisk to combine.
• Pour the wet ingredients into the carrot, apple, and dry ingredient mixture. Mix until just combined.
• Add the raisins, shredded coconut, and chopped pecans to the bowl, folding them in until just combined.
• Spoon the morning glory batter into the lined muffin tins — this amount of batter makes 21 muffins.
• Bake the muffins at 375°F for 23-25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into a muffin comes out clean.
• Enjoy!

Recipe Notes

I highly recommend shredding your own carrots and apples (vs. buying them pre-shredded). This will help to moistin the muffins!

Nutrition

Calories: 169kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 2.2g | Fat: 6.6g | Saturated Fat: 3.8g | Cholesterol: 17.7mg | Sodium: 198.6mg | Fiber: 2.4g | Sugar: 13.9g

Additional Info

Course: Breakfast, Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: 21 muffins

Calories: 169

Keyword: breakfast, morning glory muffins

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