Full of carrots, apple, nuts and all the healthy stuff, this Morning Glory Muffin Recipe is a really great way to start the day. This recipe is the easiest way to pack in lots of nutrition in the morning with an easy grab-and-go muffin!
If Morning Glory Muffins are one of your favorites, try our Blueberry Banana Muffins, or our popular Apple Crumble Muffins.
Ingredients for Morning Glory Muffins
Almonds or Pecans - You can use any nut you have on hand. Rachel prefers almonds and Amy prefers Pecans (because pecans are better, obviously Amy is writing this).
Carrots - I love the texture and slight flavor the shredded carrots add to this recipe. Kind of like carrot cake, they become soft and moist and somehow sweet when baked.
Apple - It only takes one apple to add that fruity sweetness. I prefer to use Granny Smith so they don't get mushy.
Flour - Since I am gluten intolerant, I have to bake everything with gluten free flour. (Yes, I'm a little sad every day.) Thankfully, King Arthur Flour makes my absolute favorite blend of GF flour (you can read about WHY it's my favorite here), and predictably it works great in this recipe!
Cinnamon & Ginger - These spices add the perfect touch of flavor and bring out the delicious flavors of the carrots and apple.
Applesauce - I love it when you can sweeten a recipe using natural ingredients. We always use applesauce with no sugar added to keep things healthy. One cup of applesauce adds flavor, moisture and sweetness. Perfect!
How to make morning glory muffins
FIRST, spray your 12 cup muffin pan with non-stick spray or line with paper liners and set aside. Turn up the heat on the oven to 425°F.
Grab a big bowl and combine flour, baking soda, spices and sugar (if using granulated sugar). Give it a nice STIR until well combined.
NEXT, in a food processor, place peeled carrots, apple and nuts and process until finely chopped. Add to flour mixture and stir.
MAKE A WELL in the center of the dry ingredients. Add wet ingredients—almond milk, oil, applesauce and eggs.
GENTLY COMBINE wet and dry ingredients, being careful not to over mix. Muffins that get mixed too much get tough and dry.
FILL muffin tins almost to the top. I like to use this scoop to keep my muffins even and make for quick and neat scooping. No more wiping down the middle parts of the muffin pan. Fill each cup to almost full.
TOP off muffins with chopped nuts, cranberries or whatever you have left over. I chopped some dried cranberries and coated them in sugar to make them pretty.
Lastly, BAKE muffins on the center rack of a preheat oven at 425°F (220°C). Just bake 5 minutes at this temperature. This gives the muffin a beautiful domed top, but reducing the temperature to 350°F (180°C) for the remainder of the bake time ensures a fluffy and moist center. Muffin perfection!
The Best Way to Store Muffins
The best way to store muffins is in a zip top bag lined with a paper towel. The paper towel will soak up any extra moisture and keep the muffins from "sweating" and getting sticky. They'll keep at room temperature for up to 5 days or in the refrigerator for 7-10 days.
Can I Freeze Muffins?
Yes! Once muffins have cooled completely, place on a baking sheet, (if you used muffin liners, they can be left on) being sure they're not touching each other, and freeze for 30 minutes — this will make it easy to grab just one muffin at a time.
Once frozen, place in a zip top bag and then another zip top bag to keep muffins from freezer burn.
To reheat frozen muffins, pop one or two muffins in the microwave for about 15 seconds or until the center is warmed through. Top with butter and enjoy any time of day!
Healthy Morning Glory Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cup carrots about 4 medium carrots
- 1 large Granny Smith apple peeled
- ⅓ cup almonds or any nut
- ½ cup dried cranberries or raisins
- 2 ¼ cup whole wheat flour or gluten free flour blend
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ - 1 cup coconut sugar or maple syrup or granulated white sugar
- 1 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1 cup almond milk any milk will work
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs room temperature
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F. Grease muffin pan or line with paper liners and set aside.
- In a large bowl combine flour, sugar (if using granulated) baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and ginger.
- Using a food processor finely chop nuts, apple, and carrots. They can all go in together for a quick chop.
- Mix chopped carrots mixture and cranberries with flour mixture.
- Make a well in the mix and add apple sauce, milk, oil, and eggs (and maple syrup if using instead of granulated sugar).
- Gently combine making sure not to over mix.
- Using a large cookie scoop (3 tablespoons), scoop into muffin tin and fill just below the rim.
- Bake 5 minutes at 425°F. Reduce temp to 350°F and bake for another 12-15 minutes until tops bounce back when lightly touched.
- Muffins are best right out of the oven (with butter), but will keep at room temperature for 2 days or up to one week in the refrigerator.
Notes
Nutrition
JF
Do you think these can be made w/o apples or applesauce? My daughter has allergies.
Amy
Sure! The applesauce can be replaced 1:1 with mashed banana or pureed pumpkin. You can omit the thinly sliced apples without a replacement. I hope they turn out great for you!
Anonymous
Is the amount of liquid accurate? tried the recipe and baked double the time so it would not be runny... still very soft in the inside.... taste good but texture probably not what it should be.... so wondering if liquid proportion is right.
Amy
Hmm, yes, the liquid is correct. It is a pretty wet batter, so if you prefer, you can cut back on the milk by ½. I hope that helps! Let me know how it goes!
Bernadette
I made these muffins with muffin papers. It was a no-no as muffins were wet and soggy! You did not suggest them. Will not use them again!
Wet but delicious!!!
Amy
Oh no! So sorry the papers kept the edges from firming up. I hope you'll make them again. Glad you liked them!