Morning Glory Muffins are made with a little bit of everything — whole wheat flour, carrots, apples, raisins, walnuts, orange juice, coconut and wheat germ — and, true to their name, they’re a glorious way to start the day. Created decades ago by Chef Pam McKinstry for her Morning Glory Café on Nantucket Island, they’re a throwback to the 1970s “back-to-the-land” movement, when wholesome hippie food was all the rage. (Hint: If you like carrot cake, you’ll love them.)
Despite the long list of ingredients, Morning Glory Muffins are easy to make, especially if you use a food processor to shred the carrots and apple. The ingredients are pretty straightforward. I’ll just note that I like to use King Arthur White Whole Wheat Flour for this recipe because it’s lighter and milder tasting than regular whole wheat flour (yet just as nutritious). If you can’t find it, regular whole wheat flour or a combination of whole wheat flour and all-purpose flour will work fine.
Begin by soaking the raisins in hot water. This softens and plumps them up.
Next, combine the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
Shred the carrots and apple.
Then combine the dry ingredients with the grated apple and carrots, wheat germ, walnuts and coconut.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, oil, orange juice and vanilla extract.
Add the liquid ingredients to the mixing bowl.
Then stir and mix in the drained raisins.
Fill the wells of the muffin pan with the batter. They will be very full.
Bake for about 25 minutes, until muffins are nicely domed.
Cool in the pan for a few minutes, then turn the muffins out onto a rack to cool completely.
These muffins keep well for several days and also freeze well. Enjoy!
My starting point for this recipe was the Morning Glory Muffins on the King Arthur Flour website — a fantastic baking resource. I found their version to be a bit bland, so I increased the spices, raisins, walnuts and sugar.
Ingredients
- 2/3 cup raisins
- 2 cups King Arthur White Whole Wheat Flour (or Whole Wheat Flour), spooned and leveled
- 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons light brown sugar, packed
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups peeled and grated carrots (you'll need 4-5 large carrots)
- 1 large tart apple, such as Granny Smith, peeled, cored and grated
- 1/2 cup shredded coconut, sweetened or unsweetened
- 2/3 cup chopped walnuts
- 1/3 cup wheat germ
- 3 large eggs
- 2/3 cup vegetable oil
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup orange juice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Lightly grease a 12-cup muffin tin.
- In a small bowl, cover the raisins with hot water. Set them aside to soak while you assemble the rest of the recipe.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, brown sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger and salt.
- Stir in the carrots, apple, coconut, walnuts, and wheat germ.
- 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, squeezing out any excess water with your hands, and stir them in.
- Divide the batter among the wells of the prepared pan. They will be very full.
- Bake the muffins for 25 to 28 minutes, until they're nicely domed and a cake tester inserted in the center of one of the inner muffins comes out clean.
- Remove the muffins from the oven and let cool in the pan on a rack for about 5 minutes. Turn the muffins out onto the rack to cool completely. Cover and store at room temperature for several days, or freeze for longer storage.
Comments
- These are terrific! I omitted the raisins, used one ripe ...by Kate
- I have made these for years. I now use the re ipe on the ...by pat lewis
- I substituted the following: egg beaters for eggs ...by Kathryn
- I just made these this morning – they are delicious. I ...by Barbara
- Hi Betsy, See above comment. Hope that helps!by Jenn
- Plus 5 more...