Morning Glory Muffins
Many years ago, I became smitten with Morning Glory Muffins on a family trip to Northern Wisconsin. It only took one bite to make me a fan. These cinnamon-spiced gems loaded with grated carrots, crushed pineapple, raisins (or craisins), and pecans are perfect for breakfast, brunch, snacks or even dessert!
This Morning Glory Muffin Recipe was the healthiest option at our lunch stop, and there was nary a crumb left after I dug in. When deciding to test out a few recipes, I risked having to eat the whole batch myself since the two family members left at home would have to dissect out a number of the ingredients before indulging. But I was willing to make the sacrifice!
Why You Must Make
- If you like carrot cake, you’ll love these muffins.
- With grated carrots, crushed pineapple and pecans, there are more nutritious ingredients than in your typical muffin or breakfast pastry.
- They’re also a delicious afternoon snack or healthy dessert (think of them as unfrosted cupcakes).
Ingredient Notes
- Kitchen Staples – Flour, Baking Soda, Ground Cinnamon, Salt, Sugar
- Eggs – Large eggs, have them at room temperature for easier incorporation.
- Butter – Melted and cooled. I used salted butter. If you use unsalted at a little more salt to the batter.
- Vanilla Extract – Do not use artificially flavored vanilla. Look for “Real Vanilla Extract” on the label. I use the Nielsen-Massey brand.
- Grated Carrots – Peel, then grate.
- Crushed Pineapple – Use the small 8-ounce can, drained and squeezed dry in a colander. If there’s any residual liquid, use paper towels to soak it up. A little is OK, but you don’t want to thin the batter with excess moisture.
- Sweetened, shredded Coconut – I used the Baker’s brand found in our local supermarkets.
- Craisins – Sweetened, dried Cranberries. I prefer these to raisins, but raisins are a great alternative if you’re a fan. Dried cherries would be another tasty option.
- Pecans – Toast carefully in a dry skillet to bring out their essential oils (for more flavor), cool, and coarsely chop. You could also use walnuts if you prefer.
How to Make
Recipe Tips
- Mix the batter just until combined. You don’t want to beat muffin or quick bread batter with a mixer unless it’s on the lowest speed. Beating will incorporate air into the batter the muffins won’t be the proper texture when baked. It’s best to stir the ingredients together with a rubber spatula.
- If your raisins or craisins are looking old and dehydrated, just soak them in some very hot water to rehydrate them. Drain and let dry on paper toweling before using.
- The original recipe calls for raisins, so if you love raisins, feel free to use them instead of Craisins.
- Remember to use dry measuring cups for the dry ingredients and wet measuring cups (like Pyrex cups with a lip for pouring). When measuring liquids, check at eye level for the most exact measurement. Read the level at the bottom of the meniscus, the very slightly curved top of the liquid.
- For dry measuring, scoop the flour (for example) by spoonfuls into the dry measuring cup. Use a straight edge, like the flat side of a knife or a small offset spatula to clear the excess from above the rim.
- Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of a couple of the muffins comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. If there is batter on your toothpick when it’s removed, continue to bake for a few more minutes and recheck.
Frequently Asked Questions
Muffins can be kept at room temperature for 3-4 days in an airtight container. Adding a layer of paper towels in the bottom will help prevent any moisture from making your muffins soggy. they can be frozen for up to 3 months. If you plan to freeze them, cool completely, wrap well, and store in a single layer in an airtight container. Mark with the date so you know their “use-by” date.
This muffin recipe was created in 1978 by the owner of the Morning Glory Cafe in Nantucket. She felt they were a wonderful morning treat. Her recipe was featured in Gourmet Magazine in 1981 and quickly became very popular across the U.S.
You May Also Like
- Best Carrot Cake Recipe
- Oatmeal Craisin Cookies
- Blueberry Cream Cheese Muffins
- Cream Cheese Filled Carrot Cake Muffins
- Plus, check out all my Best Breakfast and Brunch Recipes
Morning Glory Muffins
A sweet, tender muffin loaded with fruit, nuts and shredded carrots.
Ingredients
- 2 ¼ cups flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ¼ cups sugar
- 3 eggs
- 8 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups grated peeled carrots, about 4 medium
- 8 ounce can of crushed pineapple, drained (use paper towels to absorb excess liquid)
- ½ cup shredded sweetened coconut
- ½ raisins or Craisins (I use the latter)
- 1 cup chopped, toasted nuts, I use pecans
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners (or grease if preferred).
- Whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl and set aside.
- In a small bowl, whisk the sugar eggs, melted butter, and vanilla until smooth.
- With a rubber spatula, fold the sugar mixture into the flour mixture, until just combined.
- Fold in the carrots, pineapple, coconut, raisins or Craisins, and nuts until just combined. Do not overmix.
- Scoop about ⅓ cup of batter into each muffin cup.
- Bake for about 25-30 minutes rotating halfway through the baking time. Remove from the oven when a toothpick inserted into a couple of the muffins comes out clean.
- Cool on a rack for about 5 minutes, then remove the muffins from the pan onto a wire rack to finish cooling.
Notes
Make sure not to overmix your muffin batter or they can be tough with tunnels. Cool for about 5 minutes before removing from the muffin tin.
Adapted from America's Test Kitchen Family Baking Book.
Recommended Products
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
12Serving Size:
1 muffinAmount Per Serving: Calories: 374Total Fat: 16gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 67mgSodium: 433mgCarbohydrates: 53gFiber: 3gSugar: 30gProtein: 7g
Thatskinnychickcanbake.com occasionally offers nutritional information for recipes contained on this site. This information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. Although thatskinnychickcanbake.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures are only estimates. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased can change the nutritional information in any given recipe. Also, many recipes on thatskinnychickcanbake.com recommend toppings, which may or may not be listed as optional and nutritional information for these added toppings is not listed. Other factors may change the nutritional information such as when the salt amount is listed “to taste,” it is not calculated into the recipe as the amount will vary. Also, different online calculators can provide different results. To obtain the most accurate representation of the nutritional information in any given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe. You are solely responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information obtained is accurate.
3 Comments on “Morning Glory Muffins”
These muffins indeed look gorgeous, and there are so many great textures and flavours are going on!
I am a huge fan of moist, delicious muffins filled with texture! These muffins look absolutely delicious, perfect for Christmas morning.
Carrot cake in muffin form…I too like to add pineapples to the carrot cake…these look wonderful!