Morning Glory Muffins
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By Alyssa Rivers
on Feb 18, 2023 |
Morning Glory muffins are hearty and nutrient packed muffins that are the perfect way to start your day! Full of filling ingredients like flaxseed, coconut, carrot, and sunflower seeds, this muffin is flavorful and will keep you satisfied until lunch.
I am a huge pastry fan. When I went to France my number one goal was to eat ALL the breakfast pastries I could get my hands on. I just crave a delicious flaky or buttery treat in the mornings. If you sweet breads and pastries too, you are going to love this Apple Danish, these amazing Peach Scones, and these to die for Homemade Donuts.
Morning Glory Muffin
There is a reason these muffins are called morning glory, they are all the flavor and goodness you crave in the morning! Well, the actual reason they are called Morning Glory Muffins is because the recipe was created by Chef Pam McKinstry who owned the Morning Glory Cafe in Nantucket. But they really are a joy to eat in the morning. Your body is fasting while you sleep, which is why we call the first meal break-fast. So break your fast in the best way possible with these delicious muffins! They are made with whole wheat flour and so many ingredients that have the energy you need to get through to lunch. Not to mention, they also taste incredible!
They are seriously like a mix of your favorite carrot cake, a delicious spiced cake, and a yummy apple bread all in one. It’s hard to beat this sweet and nutty breakfast treat. There are also lots of different substitutions for ingredients so that you can keep this recipe unique and totally your own. It is the perfect afternoon snack or hearty breakfast. In the ingredients list after this I will share some common substitutions that can help you make this recipe exactly what you want it to be.
Ingredients
You are going to love this list of ingredients for these morning glory muffins. They are nutrient-packed and come together to make a delicious muffin. I didn’t add this to the list but you could also add some vanilla for a little extra flavor. A little orange zest is also a great idea, but that’s up to you! A lot of these ingredients are up to whatever you want to add in and what sounds good to you. You can find the measurements below in the recipe card.
Dry Ingredients For Morning Glory Muffins
- Whole Wheat Flour: Whole wheat flour has more of the good stuff than all-purpose bleached white flour. You could use all-purpose flour instead. I haven’t tried this recipe out with gluten-free flour, but any gluten-free flour mix that says it can be used as a replacement for all purpose will work great.
- Dark Brown Sugar: I like to use dark brown sugar because of the extra molasses. You could use regular brown sugar if it’s all you have. I know some people use coconut sugar, it’s so tasty!
- Baking Soda: This will help the muffins get nice and fluffy on the inside.
- Ground Cinnamon: Some warm spices really go great with the apple and carrots. It makes it taste like a spice cake!
- Ground Ginger: Ginger adds a little heat and warmth that you are going to love.
- Salt: I like to add some salt to bring out all the flavors of the ingredients and to balance out the sweetness.
- Ground Flax Seed: This adds extra flavor and nutrients to the mix. It also helps to give the muffin more structure.
Wet Ingredients
- Apple: You will want a box grater or food processor ready! You will grate the apples and carrots. You could substitute zucchini for the apple if you wanted to.
- Carrots: Once you grate your carrots, you might have some extra water that you will want to squeeze out. If you let too much water get into this mixture it will get really dense.
- Coconut: I like to add some dried coconut flakes to my morning glory muffins for extra flavor and texture. You could leave them out if you wanted to.
- Raisins: They add great texture and extra sweetness in the muffins. I really love raisins, but any dried fruit like chopped apricots, craisins, dates, or figs. You could add more nuts instead if you want to leave the fruit out.
- Walnuts: Pecans would work too, but any nuts that you want to add would be delicious. Try almonds or pistachios, or just add extra coconut flakes instead.
- Sunflower Seeds: Sunflower seeds are soft and full of nutty flavor. You could leave them out if you wanted.
- Eggs: This will help the batter come together to the perfect texture. I always use large grade A eggs in my recipes.
- Vegetable Oil: You could use coconut oil, olive oil, or avocado oil instead.
- Pineapple Juice: You could use crushed pineapple, it will add a little extra wetness to the muffin and might make them more dense. You could use orange juice instead of pineapple, it’s just as yummy!
Morning Glory Muffin Recipe
Morning glory muffins are just as easy as any muffin to make! You will combine all of the dry ingredients in one bowl and whisk them together. Then add the apple, carrots, coconuts, raisins, and nuts. In a separate bowl, you will mix the wet ingredients. Now you just combine everything together and put them in a 12-cup muffin tin. Simple as that and delicious as can be!
- Prep: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees fahrenheit and line a muffin pan with liners. Spray the liners with cooking spray and set aside. This recipe makes 14-15 muffins, so you may prep a second pan or bake the remaining muffins after the first ones finish and cool enough to be removed from the pan.
- Whisk: In a large bowl whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, salt, and flaxseed.
- Add Fruit and Nuts: Add the apple, carrots, coconut, raisins, walnuts, and sunflower seeds and stir to combine.
- Combine: In another bowl combine the eggs, vegetable oil, and pineapple juice.
- Add Wet to Dry: Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix until combined.
- Fill Liners: Scoop into the prepared muffin liners, filling them completely.
- Bake: Bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 5 minutes then lower the heat to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Bake for an additional 16-18 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Tips for Making Morning Glory Muffins
These morning glory muffins may have a long list of ingredients, but they are so simple to put together. They are a great recipe to make with kids and I love making extra to keep in the freezer. Here are some tips for making this recipe.
- Thick Batter: The batter for these muffins is very thick and may feel like it doesn’t have enough liquid, but keep stirring and it will all come together. You can use a ice cream scoop to help get the right amount of batter into the muffin cups.
- Substitutions: The add-ins are very adaptable! Feel free to switch out the items for different things to better suit your preferences. Craisins instead of raisins, pecans instead of walnuts, pistachios instead of sunflower seeds…the options are endless! You may also add or omit spices as desired. I talk more about this in the ingredients list above.
- Spray Muffin Tins: Don’t skip the step of spraying the muffin liners! This helps the dense muffin release from the paper liners without sticking and leaving you with less muffin to enjoy.
Storing Leftovers
Morning glory muffins are a great recipe to add to your meal prep rotation. They are a simple recipe full of nutrients that store for a week in the refrigerator. You can freeze them and they taste amazing!
- On the Counter: Store muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days.
- In the Refrigerator: Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 7 days.
- In the Freezer: Muffins may be frozen in an airtight container or ziplock bag for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temp in an airtight container overnight.
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Preheat the oven to 400 degrees fahrenheit and line a muffin pan with liners. Spray the liners with cooking spray and set aside. This recipe makes 14-15 muffins, so you may prep a second pan or bake the remaining muffins after the first ones finish and cool enough to be removed from the pan.
In a large bowl whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, salt, and flaxseed.
Add the apple, carrots, coconut, raisins, walnuts, and sunflower seeds and stir to combine.
In another bowl combine the eggs, vegetable oil, and pineapple juice.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix until combined.
Scoop into the prepared muffin liners, filling them completely.
Bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 5 minutes then lower the heat to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Bake for an additional 16-18 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Serving: 1muffinCalories: 229kcalCarbohydrates: 39gProtein: 6gFat: 7gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 4gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0.004gCholesterol: 35mgSodium: 240mgPotassium: 279mgFiber: 4gSugar: 19gVitamin A: 3115IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 49mgIron: 2mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.