Julie Clark
Posted:
Morning Glory Muffins
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Morning glory muffins is the perfect breakfast muffin recipe to feed your family in less than an hour! An old fashioned recipe that has stood the test of time.
A cross between carrot cake and fruit cake, these healthy muffins are packed with flavors, nutrients, and are super moist. Plus, these apple carrot muffins are kid approved.
This recipe is inspired by the original 1970’s Morning Glory Muffins, which was created by Pam McKinstry and famously served at Morning Glory Cafe in Nantucket. The cafe closed its doors in 1994, but this classic morning glory muffin recipe will forever live on!
If you want to learn more about the cafe, there is a Facebook page devoted to it, which both employees and visitors share photos and memories of their experience there.
Everyone has a different recipe with their own touch. Some like to add oats or zucchini to their glorious morning muffins. This is the one we remember from our childhood.
Why you’ll love these healthy muffins:
- zero waste ingredients (Use up the leftover produce.)
- tender and moist (Using oil instead of butter creates soft moist muffins.)
- whole ingredients (Guilt-free muffins for the win!)
- can be frozen (These muffins can be frozen up to three months!)
- breakfast on the go (Bake these ahead of time and store them up to 3 days in the fridge for a grab and go breakfast or snack!)
Ingredients in Morning Glory Muffins:
Here’s a breakdown of the ingredients used in our muffins:
- all-purpose flour
- brown & white sugar
- baking soda
- ground cinnamon
- salt
- grated carrots, raisins, walnuts, coconut and apple
- eggs
- pure vanilla extract
- vegetable oil
- applesauce
How to make easy Morning Glory Muffins
- In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, oil, apple sauce and vanilla.
- Add the flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking soda and salt and stir well.
- Add in the carrots, raisins, walnuts nuts, coconut and apple and stir to combine.
- Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin tins, filling ¾ full.
- Bake for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
What to serve with breakfast muffins:
Breakfast muffins are fun treats for the kiddos, especially if you’re having a sleepover or serving brunch to friends and family. They also can be good as an afternoon snack.
Here are some recipe ideas on what to serve with breakfast muffins:
- Fruit and yogurt parfaits.
- Fresh fruit with raspberry cream cheese fruit dip.
- Fruit and cream cheese crepes or breakfast pizza.
- Fresh juice, coffee or tea
Frequently Asked Questions
What kind of applesauce should I use?
Whatever is on hand! We used natural applesauce, but you can use cinnamon applesauce or chunky applesauce for moist muffins.
Do I have to use oil?
Baking with oil is great when you want a soft and moist muffin recipe. Butter gives rich flavors to cakes, but creates a denser dough.
Considering morning muffins use heavy ingredients like nuts, vegetables and fruits, it is best to use oil for a lighter muffin.
Can I substitute vegetable oil for another oil?
If you realized you’re out of vegetable oil, you can substitute it for a neutral flavor (or as close to the ingredients used) based oil. Canola oil would by my first recommendation, followed by coconut oil.
Please, do not use olive oil for baking! Olive oil is too strong and will overwhelm the muffins.
Can I add a topping to my muffins?
These muffins are full of ingredients, so if you should choose to add a topping, I suggest a light powdered sugar glaze (add some orange zest or extract to the glaze for the perfect compliment).
What are other add-ins?
The list is endless! Zucchini, pineapples, and oats seem to be famous ingredient options. Ina Garten’s morning glory muffins includes crushed pineapples and instead of walnuts, she uses pecans.
Can I freeze morning glory muffins?
Muffins are amazing for batch freezer cooking for future breakfasts ready in minutes.
You can freeze these healthy apple carrot muffins for up to 3-4 months, if stored correctly. (Flash freeze them in a pan and then store them in an airtight container or a large freezer gallon ziploc bag.)
Moral of the story, this healthy breakfast muffin recipe is like an everything but the kitchen sink muffin recipe!
Morning Glory Muffins
Morning glory muffins is the perfect breakfast muffin recipe to feed your family in less than an hour! An old fashioned recipe that has stood the test of time.
Servings 24
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 cups carrots (grated)
- ½ cup raisins
- ½ cup walnuts (chopped)
- ½ cup coconut flakes
- 1 apple (peeled and finely diced)
- 3 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- ½ cup applesauce
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375º Fahrenheit.
- Line a muffin tin with paper liners. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, oil, apple sauce and vanilla.
- Add the flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking soda and salt and stir well.
- Add in the carrots, raisins, walnuts nuts, coconut and apple and stir to combine.
- Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin tins, filling ¾ full.
- Bake for 20 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
Notes
The calories shown are based on the recipe making 24 muffins, with 1 serving being 1 muffin. Since different brands of ingredients have different nutritional information, the calories shown are just an estimate. **We are not dietitians and recommend you seek a nutritionist for exact nutritional information.**
Nutrition
Calories: 170kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 23mg | Sodium: 159mg | Potassium: 113mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 1820IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 18mg | Iron: 1mg
Hi!
Can I substitute the applesauce with shredded apple? And how much?
Thanks!!! 🙂
I switched pureed bananas for applesauce, added 1 cup oatmeal, a mix of raisins, currents and dates, my nuts were mixed too with pumpkin seeds, Walnuts, pecans, came out very yummy
I love this type of muffins. I have made similar ones with whole wheat flour. So good!