Morning Glory Muffins

Morning Glory Muffins are loaded with carrots, apples, coconut, raisins and nuts. Sweet and delicious – they are sure to become your new favorite muffin!

Years ago, I lived near a great little coffee shop in Danvers, Massachusetts called the Custom Cup Caffe.  Every Friday on my way into work, one of my weekly rituals was to stop and treat myself to a cup of their terrific coffee, and one of their even-more-terrific Morning Glory Muffins.

A few years ago (long after I had moved away from Danvers), I found myself craving one of those moist, sweet, cinnamon Morning Glory Muffins – filled with carrots, raisins, nuts, and other yummy ingredients.

While searching around online for a recipe to try making at home, I learned that Morning Glory Muffins were originally created at the Morning Glory Café on Nantucket Island by chef and café owner Pam McKinstry.   Her now-famous original recipe found here, was published in Gourmet magazine in 1981. Later, in 1991, it was chosen as one of the magazine’s twenty-five favorite recipes from the past fifty years. (I can totally see why!)

The version we’re sharing today was gently adapted from a different, highly-rated Morning Glory Muffin recipe found here.   These hearty muffins are sweet and moist, with so many textures and flavors you’ll be licking your fingers to get every last crumb.

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Why You’ll Love Morning Glory Muffins!

• All those flavors and textures. These moist, scrumptious muffins are loaded with shredded fruit, vegetables and nuts.
• They are hearty and filling. Enjoy these muffins for breakfast or as an afternoon snack after school.
• Sure to please even the pickiest eaters. We used to send one of these muffins with our daughter to daycare when she was little. She was the pickiest eater around and loved her Morning Glory Muffins!

Key Ingredients and Substitutions

• Fruit and Veggies – We use freshly grated and peeled apples and carrots along with raisins for this recipe. Some Morning Glory Muffin recipes include pineapple too – so feel free to add different fruits if you’d like.
• Nuts and Coconut – These add some texture and crunch to the muffins. We like to use walnuts, but just about any kind of nut would be delicious. We used sweetened flaked coconut, but unsweetened is fine too if you prefer a little less sweetness.
• Flaxseed – Packed with plant omega-3, antioxidants, and fiber, flaxseed adds more health benefits and a nutty flavor to these muffins. Feel free to leave it out.

Special supplies needed

• Muffin tin – This recipe yields a dozen standard-sized muffins, or 24 mini muffins.
• Muffin liners – We like using tulip paper liners like this to give our muffins a bakery-style look, but you can also put the batter right into the muffin tin. Just give your muffin pan a quick spray with non-stick cooking spray before filling with batter.

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How Do I Make Morning Glory Muffins?

1. Prep – You’ll peel and grate your carrots and apples, chop the nuts, measure out the other wet and dry ingredients, and line or grease your muffin tin. It’s always a good idea do to all this prep before you start to combine ingredients.
2. Combine – Once everything is prepped, mix together all your dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl, whisking to be sure everything is combined. Add the carrots, raisins, nuts, coconut, apples, and flaxseed – stirring to evenly combine. Then whisk eggs, oil, and vanilla together and pour that mixture into the flour and fruit mixture. Stir just enough to combine all of the ingredients, but don’t over mix the batter.
3. Fill Your Tins – Now scoop the batter into each prepared tin – dividing the batter evenly among each muffin cavity. You can use a spoon or an ice cream scoop for this. We fill ours nearly to the brim because these muffins rise only a little during baking.
4. Bake – These muffins bake for about 20 minutes and will fill your kitchen with amazing aromas! You’ll know they’re done when the centers are slightly soft, but a toothpick comes out clean.

Watch our video in the recipe card below to see exactly how we make Morning Glory Muffins!

These muffins are hearty enough to make a filling breakfast on their own, and sweet enough to complement a savory omelet. Pair with your favorite cup of coffee or morning tea, or a tall glass of milk.

Chef’s Tip

Use an ice cream or cookie scoop to portion the batter into your muffin tin. It’s easier than using a spoon.

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Frequently Asked Questions

• Can I substitute gluten-free flour in this recipe?  We haven’t tried making this recipe with gluten-free flour ourselves, but a one-for-one flour will likely work. (If you try it, let us know how it works out!)
• How should I store Morning Glory Muffins?  Store in an airtight container unrefrigerated for a day or two. You can refrigerate them, but bring back to room temperature before eating, or zap them in the microwave for a few seconds to warm back up.

• Can I freeze these muffins? Yes! In fact, we used to bake up a batch of muffins and freeze them in a zipper seal bag, then we’d take one out of the bag each day to send with her lunch.
• Can I reduce the sugar in these muffins? As written, this muffin recipe turns out fairly sweet, so you can definitely reduce the sugar that is called for by ¼ cup (or more) and still achieve tasty results. We haven’t tried swapping in sugar substitutes ourselves, but if you try any, please let us know the results. (We’d love to know!)

This post was originally published in October, 2012. We’ve updated the post with new images and text.

You may enjoy these other muffin recipes:

• The Real Jordan Marsh Blueberry Muffins Recipe
• Sour Cream Coffee Cake Muffins
• Maple Streusel Muffins
• Spiced Apple Coconut Muffins
• Lemon Blueberry Zucchini Muffins

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