These moist, delectable, and easy-to-make Morning Glory Muffins are loaded with carrots, raisins, walnuts, and coconut—almost like mini carrot cakes. They are always a hit with family and friends. I love to make a double batch and freeze half for on-the-go breakfasts.
Muffins are always a great addition to hearty weekend breakfasts, busy but fun holiday brunches, or even after-school snacks. If you like these muffins, try cranberry orange muffins, oatmeal muffins, and blueberry muffins.
The Perfect Muffin
Start your day right with these easy and nutritious Morning Glory Muffins. Packed with fruits, vegetables, and nuts, these muffins are a delicious way to fuel your morning and keep you feeling satisfied until lunchtime.
What You’ll Need
- All-purpose flour
- Baking soda: for a bit of rise
- Spices: ground cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg
- Salt: just a touch to enhance flavor
- Eggs: large, please
- Oil: vegetable or canola
- Vanilla extract: the pure stuff, please
- Brown sugar: preferably light brown
- Carrots: I like to peel mine for that brght orange color
- Apple: like Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, or Fuji
- Raisins: I like to use golden raisins
- Nuts: chopped walnuts or pecans
- Coconut: sweetened coconut flakes
How to make Morning Glory Muffins
Whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and salt in a large bowl. In a medium bowl, stir together the eggs, oil, vanilla extract, brown sugar, carrots, and apple. Stir the flour mixture into the wet ingredients until barely incorporated. Then fold in the raisins, walnuts, and coconut. Avoid over-stirring or overmixing so the dough does not get tough.
Line the muffin pan with muffin liners. Spoon the batter into the muffin liners, filling them up. Bake for about 20-2 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out fairly clean with just a few moist crumbs. Move to a wire rack to cool.
Preparation Tips
- Line the muffin tin with liners. They help keep the muffins from sticking to the pan. I like the unbleached chlorine-free ones. They peel away perfectly from muffins and cupcakes.
- Shred the carrots using the small grate side of a box grater.
- Do not overmix the batter. Mix just until combined and no further. Overmixing the batter can cause overactive gluten, making tough and gummy muffins.
- Do not overbake the muffins. Cook until a toothpick inserted in the top center of one of the muffins comes out fairly clean with just a few moist crumbs.
Recipe Variations
- Flour: Substitute whole wheat flour or a combination of whole wheat and all-purpose.
- Fruit: For the raisins, substitute dried cranberries, figs, prunes, cherries, or apricots. For the apples, substitute well-drained crushed pineapple.
- Nuts: Substitute pecans, almond slices or slivers, macadamia nuts, or pistachios
- Seeds: Add sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, flax seeds, chia seeds, or poppy seeds.
Storage
Thoroughly cool the muffins before storing them in an airtight container at room temperature for 2 to 5 days in the fridge. To freeze, fully cool, then place them in heavy-duty freezer bags. Freeze for up to 3 months.
More Muffins Recipes
Morning Glory Muffins
Ingredients
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1/2 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ⅛ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 3 large eggs
- ¾ cup vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- 2 cups shredded carrots
- 1 cup peeled and shredded apple
- ½ cup raisins
- ½ cup chopped walnuts
- ½ cup sweetened coconut flakes
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a muffin tin with paper liners.
- Whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and salt in a large bowl. In a medium bowl, stir together the eggs, oil, vanilla extract, brown sugar, carrots, and apple. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients stirring just until barely incorporated.
- Fold in the raisins, walnuts, and coconut. Avoid any over-stirring or overmixing so the dough does not get tough.
- Line the muffin pan with muffin liners. Spoon the batter into the muffin liners filling them all the way up. Bake for 10 minutes. Then reduce the oven to 350 degrees. Bake an additional 10-12 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Notes
- Line the cupcake/muffin tin with liners. They really help keep the muffins from sticking to the pan. I really like the unbleached chlorine-free ones. They peel away perfectly from muffins and cupcakes.
- Shred the carrots using the small grate side of a box grater.
- Do not overmix the batter. Mix just until combined and no further. Overmixing the batter can cause overactive gluten, leading to tough and gummy muffins.
- Do not overbake the muffins. Cook until a toothpick inserted in the top center of one of the muffins comes out fairly clean with just a few moist crumbs.
Nutrition
Are you on the hunt for more delicious recipes? Follow Small Town Woman on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram.
https://www.smalltownwoman.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Beth-1.pdf
LeAnn Baker
What apple do you recommend in this recipe?
Beth Pierce
My go-to apples for this recipe are crisp apples like Honeycrisp or Granny Smith apples. Other good choices are Braeburn or Pink Lady (also known as Cripps Pink).
Marisa
I will try this recipe, but I have to soak my raisens.
rebecca
yum! love the apple in this muffin
Jess
I love making these to have for my kids for busy mornings on the go!
Connie
I love this recipe. If you make them, don’t make the same mistake I did. I expect ingredients to be listed in the order that you are going to use them so I mistakenly mixed the brown sugar in with the flour. They still came out really good, so I’m not sure it made any difference.
Andrea
What a magnificent muffin! Perfect for a busy morning breakfast.
TAYLER ROSS
I made these muffins for breakfast this morning and they were delicious! Definitely making them again soon!
Beth Pierce
Thanks, Tayler! Great for on-the-go breakfast!
Kristen
Love these muffins! I put them into my daughter’s snack for school and they’re a hit. Thanks!
Beth Pierce
So glad that she likes the muffins. The pleasure is all mine, Kristen!
Shirley
I’d like to use just 1/4 c brown sugar. Think muffin would still be satisfactory?
Beth Pierce
Yes I do think it would be fine. Sorry about the delayed response. Things are so busy these days.
Tammy
These truly are a morning glory! They were super moist and delicious…a perfect breakfast muffin!
Risa Lopez
I love muffins! These were so delicious! My nieces and nephews loved them! Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Mosaic Art
omg these muffinssss, they look divine…I love muffins that have crust, soooo good…I can’t wait to make your recipe.
Melanie E
These are great muffins. I love the fruit veg and spice additions. The kids love them for breakfast!
Stephanie
I like adding carrots to things like this. My boys don’t realize they are getting some veggies in when they eat breakfast. Such a great recipe to have ready for school mornings.
Janet
Great muffins, nice and moist and flavorful. After cooked, muffin seems to stick to paper.
Was wondering if the recipe can be made in mini loaf pans?
Beth Pierce
Yeah sure.
Teresa
Do you have a preferred apple? Also in your recipe variations you mention substituting crushed pineapple for applesauce, but I didn’t see applesauce in the recipe. Should applesauce be an ingredient in the muffins?
Beth Pierce
I really like baking with the honey crisp or Cripps Pink. That was a mistake and should have said in place of the apple. I have corrected it. Thanks for the heads up.
Toni
These are really nice muffins! Everyone at my house loved it!