Morning Glory Muffins

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Morning Glory Muffins

star rating (57) rate this recipe »
Published prior to 2008

This recipe, a throwback to the "back to the land" '60s, brings together all kinds of fruits and vegetables in an earthy whole-grain muffin that, despite the description, manages to taste very good indeed. Moist and just sweet enough, Morning Glory are a great "eat in the car" treat—they need the enhancement of neither butter nor jam (though either—or cream cheese—wouldn't be out of place).

1/2 cup (2 1/2 ounces) raisins
2 cups (8 1/2 ounces) King Arthur whole wheat flour, traditional or white whole wheat
1 cup (7 1/2 ounces) brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups (7 ounces) carrots, peeled and grated
1 large tart apple, peeled, cored, and grated
1/2 cup (1 1/2 ounces) sweetened shredded coconut
1/2 cup (2 ounces) chopped walnuts
1/3 cup (1 1/2 ounces) sunflower seeds or wheat germ, optional
3 large eggs
2/3 cup (4 5/8 ounces) vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 cup (2 ounces) orange juice

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Lightly grease a 12-cup muffin tin, or line it with papers and spray the insides of the papers.

To make the muffins: In a small bowl, cover the raisins with hot water, and set them aside to soak while you assemble the rest of the recipe. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, spices, and salt. Stir in the carrots, apple, coconut, nuts, and sunflower seeds or wheat germ, if using. In a separate bowl, beat together the eggs, oil, vanilla, and orange juice. Add to the flour mixture, and stir until evenly moistened. Drain the raisins and stir them in. Divide the batter among the wells of the prepared pan (they'll be full almost to the top; that's OK).

To bake the muffins: Bake for 25 to 28 minutes, until nicely domed and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven, let cool for 5 minutes in their pan on a rack, then turn out of pans to finish cooling.

Nutrition information per serving (1 muffin, 106g): 20g whole grains, 342 cal, 18g fat, 6g protein, 26g complex carbohydrates, 19g sugar, 4g dietary fiber, 53mg Cholesterol, 347mg sodium, 322mg potassium, 541RE vitamin A, 3mg vitamin C, 2mg iron, 47mg calcium, 131mg phosphorous.

Reviews

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  • 04/27/2012
  • jay27 from KAF Community
  • Would it be possible to make these with a liquid sweetener like honey or maple syrup? What kind of adjustments should be made?
    When adding a liquid sugar like honey or syrup to your recipes they will be more dense and heavy if you don't use a formula. When using honey or syrup you have to account for the added moisture. For every 1# of sugar substitute 1# of liquid sweetener and reduce the other liquid by 3 onces. I suggest for this particular recipe to omit the orange juice and use grated orange rind or orange extract instead.
  • star rating 04/12/2012
  • lindathompson from KAF Community
  • These are awesome, so worth the trip to the store for all the ingredients. Saying that, I used craisins, and substituted orange zest and the juice of the orange for the orange juice. The zest really brings out the citrus. I also used both the sunflower seeds and wheat germ. My daughter suggested crushed pineapple to be added. I made a double batch and am ready to make some more. Thanks
  • star rating 04/09/2012
  • Paul68 from KAF Community
  • Today I made my second batch and WOW. I thought the first batch was great but it just keeps on getting better. This batch I used a 6 muffin pan and love the larger size. Like a meal in your hand. KAF THANK YOU!!!!!!!
  • star rating 03/27/2012
  • Melehump from KAF Community
  • I've made these 4 times now so obviously we like them very much! It does take me an hour prep still which I wish I could cut down a bit. I greased and floured the tins this last time instead of using paper liners. without the paper it resulted in a crisp exterior, which is a nice surprise. This is especially good for my toddler who needs heathly but calorie dense food since he is on the skinny side. I also sprinkle oat onto the tops just before baking for appearance. I also keep shredded carrot in the fridge which keeps for weeks to cut down on that time. This last time I added toasted wheat germ and they were drier so back to sunflower next time!
  • star rating 03/26/2012
  • MadisonMe from KAF Community
  • Made a batch of these to carry on a trip to Cabo and they came out fantastic. Not too sweet and perfectly moist. They also lasted 4 days in a ziploc without refrigeration. My friends and husband loved it too. Great recipe that's also super easy to make!
  • star rating 03/18/2012
  • Seth from Virginia
  • My 12 year old daughter and her friend each ate two of these this morning, and then my wife burst into my office later to tell me how good they were too. These taste just like my favorite coffee shop muffins. Exactly what I was hoping for. Thanks!
  • star rating 02/26/2012
  • scoobydoobydoo from KAF Community
  • these are perfect and absolutely delicious! i cut out a couple TB of sugar and sprinkled the tops with cinnamon sugar. they were full of flavor and texture--another wonderful KA flour!! thanks for all the fabulous recipes!!
  • star rating 02/08/2012
  • brendabaker from KAF Community
  • Oh, WOW! I am so glad that I finally made these muffins. I had seen the recipe way back and like others thought it would be time consuming, but I was looking for something to use some carrots. Wonderful muffins! Everyone loves them! Moist and flavorful, like all the other comments, you can't go wrong. Use what you have on hand, but MAKE THESE MUFFINS! Thanks KAF for great recipes!
  • 02/01/2012
  • jsraiona from KAF Community
  • Very good recipe. I replaced the brown sugar with Sucanat and the vegetable oil with applesauce. The applesauce not only eliminated some fat from the recipe but also gave another layer of flavor. It will definitely be a regular in our house.
  • star rating 01/01/2012
  • Scone-lady from KAF Community
  • Have made this recipe twice now and each time excellent and moist. My variations - 3/4 cup br sugar, 1 1/2 cups grated Carrot, and craisins rather than raisins - all else the same. Note: I haver a larger muffin tin and get 8 rather than 12 muffins.
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