Why are they called Morning Glory muffins?

The story goes that Morning Glory muffins are the creation of chef Pam McKinstry in the late 1970s, where she served that at her restaurant of the same name: Morning Glory Cafe on Nantucket Island. The muffins developed a cult following, and they were featured in Gourmet magazine in 1981. Since then, many cafes and bakers have created their own version of this popular muffin recipe.

What is morning glory flavor?

Morning glory muffins or morning glory cake has a flavor that is a cross between a subtly sweet carrot cake and a spiced apple cake. It is a dense and moist cake, usually studded with bits of fruit, such as raisins, apples, and/or pineapple.

What are some variations of morning glory muffins?

Morning Glory muffins almost always contain shredded carrots, apple, raisins, cinnamon, ginger, and coconut. Some versions also contain citrus juices or zest, pineapple, raisins, nuts, and flaxseed. Bakers have also experimented with different flours, so whole wheat, gluten free, and even paleo versions exist.

How do you keep the carrots from turning green in your muffin recipes?

The baking soda in baked goods can sometimes cause carrots to turn green or brown. To prevent this, stir the dry ingredients well to get the baking soda evenly distributed in the batter before adding the grated carrots.

Morning Glory Muffins Recipe

Servings: 12 muffins 1x

Ingredients

Cooking spray
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour (200g) (see notes for gluten free)
½ cup Maskal Ivory Teff Flour (80g)
1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon fine salt
½ teaspoon ground ginger
Zest and juice of 1 medium orange (1 tablespoon zest + ⅓ cup juice), divided
2 large eggs
½ cup unsweetened applesauce
½ cup pure honey
¼ cup avocado oil or olive oil
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3 medium carrots, grated (about 1 cup)
1 medium apple, grated (about ¾ cup)
¼ cup golden or black raisins
½ cup chopped pecans
Optional: Shredded coconut for topping

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Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350℉. Mist the cups of a 12-cup muffin tin or silicone muffin pan with cooking spray or line with cupcake paper liners; set aside.
In a medium bowl, combine the flour, teff flour, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, ginger, and orange zest. Stir to combine, then make a well in the center of the dry ingredients.
To the well in the center of the dry ingredients, add the wet ingredients: the orange juice, eggs, applesauce, honey, oil, and vanilla. Stir well with a large spoon or rubber spatula until just combined.
Fold in the grated carrots, grated apple, raisins, and chopped pecans. Stir again just to incorporate (there’s no need to overmix).
Scoop about ⅓ cup of batter into each muffin cup in the prepared muffin pan. Sprinkle shredded coconut on top, if desired.
Bake until a toothpick inserted comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes.
Let the muffins cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely before storing in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
May be frozen for up to 3 months for longer storage.

Notes

Possible substitutions:
– May sub ½ cup mashed banana (1 medium-large banana) for the applesauce
– May sub ½ cup pure maple syrup for the honey
– May sub ¼ cup melted butter or melted coconut oil for the avocado oil or olive oil
– May sub 1 cup grated zucchini or grated sweet potato for the grated carrot
– May sub ¾ cup crushed pineapple for the grated apple
– May sub ½ cup chopped walnuts or sunflower seeds for the chopped pecans
– May sub ¼ cup currants or dried cranberries for the ¼ cup raisins

For gluten free: Use 1 ½ cups of 1:1 gluten-free baking flour in place of all-purpose flour. The Maskal Teff flour is naturally gluten free.

For dairy free: Use avocado oil, olive oil, or melted coconut oil instead of butter.

Nutrition Information

Serving Size: 1 muffin
Calories: 277
Fat: 8 g
(Sat Fat: 1 g)
Sodium: 230 mg
Carbohydrate: 30 g
(Fiber: 3 g
Sugar: 16 g)
Protein: 4 g
Cholesterol: 23 mg

Dietary

Dairy-Free Gluten-free Vegetarian

Recipe By: Stacie Hassing