*****RECIPE UPDATE***** I made a change to this recipe I’m crazy about and had to share it with you immediately! Instead of grating the apple, I peeled and diced it small yeilding little golden jewels throughout the muffin and the apple flavor is more pronounced. I also decreased the amount of oil by 1/4 cup which in my opinion makes it even better!

Have you ever eaten a morning glory muffin? If not, get ready to write your grocery list and then get ready to run to the nearest grocery! They are a throwback to the 70’s and 80’s and said to have been created by the owners of the Morning Glory Café in Nantucket. They were later made famous by Gourmet Magazine. Some people think muffins are just an excuse to eat cake for breakfast, I like those people! When something is packed so full with healthy ingredients, you don’t really need an excuse.

These are filled with absolutely everything I love: apples, carrots, nuts, raisins, pineapple, coconut, and warm spices. Oh wait, I’m allergic to coconut – crazy right? I subbed slivered almonds and they worked perfectly. In the past I have also subbed oatmeal which was great and validated the breakfast concept. It’s a pretty flexible recipe for swap outs. If you like coconut go ahead and add shredded sweetened coconut.

They make a great addition to brunch, as a hearty snack, packed in a lunchbox, alongside of yogurt, perfect with a tall glass of milk and of course a cup of coffee. Personally, I like anything that enhances my coffee and anything that makes me feel like I’m on vacation. When away, I tend to go to the nearest coffee shop, buy a muffin and iced coffee and then go for a walk while I wait for everyone to wake up.

Since I think a staycation deserves the same delicious treatment and perks, I wake up bright and early and while my family sleeps in, I get to work baking. Can’t believe I’m admitting this, but I made 3 batches over winter break. Cheers to my first recipe of 2020! Let’s all raise a cup of coffee (or juice) to the Morning Glory Muffin! It’s one of the best muffins around and definitely ready for the spotlight. It’s also great toasted! Isn’t there anything this muffin can’t do? The recipe makes about 18 muffins. Enjoy!

ingredients
2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour scooped and leveled
½ cup slivered almonds crushed slightly or old fashioned oats (optional)
½ cup pecans or walnuts roughly chopped
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
2 teaspoons baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 cups grated carrots (I like to use a box grater for this)*
1 baking apple of your choice peeled and diced small**
1 (8 ounce) can crushed pineapple drained
3/4 cup vegetable oil
½ cup packed light brown sugar
1/3 cup granulated sugar
½ cup raisins
3 extra-large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 teaspoons lemon juice (to squeeze over grated apples)
½ – ¾ cup raw sunflower seeds or raw slivered almonds to garnish tops (optional)

directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and arrange oven rack to the top third of the oven. If two muffin pans don’t fit on one rack, space the racks on the top and bottom third of the oven. Brush oil on the top of muffin pans and line with paper muffin cups. 

In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, sugars, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Don’t skip the sifting! Add the nuts, mix though and set aside.

Grate the carrots and set aside, grate the apple and squeeze the lemon juice on top and set aside. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, oil, and vanilla. Add the carrots, apple, pineapple, and raisins. Mix together until combined.  

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir just until combined. I used an ice cream scoop to scoop the batter into the muffin cups. Bake for 22 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in pans for 5 minutes and then take them out and place them on a baking rack to cool.

*I like the box grater for the size of the shred and it yields less moisture. If you use a food processor, make sure to dry the shredded carrots with paper towels before adding to the batter.
**any good baking apple will do. I have used Braeburn, Johnagold and Granny Smith. All work very well.

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