Nom nom nom… (I’m eating one of these as I type this blog post)
So, I’m usually not that into muffins because they really just seem like cupcakes in disguise. Morning glory muffins, on the other hand, are chock full of all sorts of delicious, good for you things. My morning glory muffins have oat bran, shredded carrots, applesauce, raisins, walnuts and coconut, but there are tons of other options. In the future, I plan on experimenting with shredded zucchini, pumpkin puree and pineapple. If you’re planning to experiment with other ingredients, just try to keep the ratio of wet to dry ingredients the same to keep the consistency of the batter the same.
That being said, they are still muffins and still have a decent amount of sugar so I’m reserving these for those long, lazy weekend mornings when I want something special with my cup of coffee. The recipe makes 14 and since I’m only planning to eat them as a treat, the majority will be frozen. Baked goods freeze beautifully, just make sure to wrap them up tightly to prevent freezer burn.
Morning Glory Muffins
Morning Glory Muffins
Servings 14Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour ($0.10)
- 1 cup whole wheat flour ($0.16)
- 1/2 cup oat bran ($0.52)
- 1 cup sugar ($0.18)
- 2 tsp baking soda ($0.08)
- 2 tsp cinnamon ($0.12)
- 1/4 tsp salt ($0.02)
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil ($0.24)
- 3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce ($0.38)
- 3 lg eggs ($0.53)
- 1 tsp vanilla ($0.28)
- 2 cups 4 med carrots, shredded ($0.49)
- 1/2 cup raisins ($0.28)
- 1/2 cup walnuts, chopped ($0.84)
- 1/2 cup shredded coconut ($0.25)
Instructions
- Wash and peel the carrots. Using a cheese shredder, shred the carrots into a bowl and then set them aside. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
- In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients: all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, oat bran, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Stir until everything is evenly combined.
- In another fairly large bowl, combine the wet ingredients: vegetable oil, applesauce, eggs and vanilla. Whisk until evenly combined. Stir in the carrots, raisins, walnuts and coconut.
- Pour the bowl of wet ingredients into the bowl of dry ingredients and stir just until everything is moistened and combined. Over stirring can give the muffins an undesirable texture.
- Line a muffin tin with paper cups or spray with non-stick spray. Fill the cups to the top with the muffin batter. Bake in the oven at 375 degrees for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool on a wire rack.
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Step By Step Photos
Put all of the dry ingredients in a bowl (flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, salt). Yes, there is a bowl there, it’s just glass so you can’t see it.
Stir it all up so it’s evenly mixed.
Put all of the wet ingredients in a second bowl (oil, applesauce, eggs, vanilla).
Whisk until evenly combined.
Add the rest of the ingredients (shredded carrots, walnuts, raisins, coconut) to the wet ingredients and stir it up.
Pour the wet ingredients onto the dry ingredients…
And stir it up. Stir only until everything has moistened and mixed evenly. Over stirring can give the muffins a poor texture.
Fill the muffin tin up to the top of the wells. Bake at 375 degrees (preheated oven) for about 30 minutes.
Let the muffins cool on a wire rack.
Enjoy with a hot cup of coffee while sitting on your porch watching the world go by…
O.
M.
G.
I just made these and they are absolutely delish! I used old-fashioned oats in place of oat bran since I generally don’t keep that on hand. I thought I was going to end up with too much batter (the cups were FULL) but they came out to be a perfect size after they baked. I also had to add 5 minutes to the baking time, but I’m sure that’s different for everyone, depending on their ovens. The hardest part of this recipe is limiting myself to only eating one!
I just did it, and muffins tasted delicious!
You missed the oat bran in the recipe.
I’ve never enjoyed grocery shopping or cooking, but now that I’ve quit my job at a full time active duty Air Force lab tech to be a full time student, I had to find a way to save money. Thankfully I found this blog! I’m getting better at meal planning, grocery shopping, and cooking (I’m actually enjoying it all).Thank you, Beth! This recipe is great! I had to substitute oat bran for old fashioned oats and 2 mashed up bananas in place of the applesauce. I also didn’t add raisins.
I linked to this recipe in my March Real Food Monthly Meal Plan. I am a carb addict and am always looking for ways to sneak veggies and fruits in with my carbs.
We also made these with a toddler last night. They were so tasty. We used 1/2 cup white sugar and 1/2 cup brown sugar because that’s all we had in the cupboard. They are so tasty. My daughter had a grand time mixing all the dry ingredients and eating the raisins and coconut. we used the peeler to shred the carrots and it left big pieces or carrot running through the muffins. It didn’t really affect the texture. We are big fans.
Making these this morning with a toddler as a helper. We subbed diced apples because we only had one carrot (but it’s in there!), blueberries for raisins (because they are so stale!), and cracked wheat for oat bran. The batter tastes delicious so I hope they turn out well! Great recipe to get kiddos eating their veggies in cake form!
Hi there! My dad has been eating basically the same kind of muffins–oatmeal apple cinnamon–for breakfast for I’m not even sure how many years. I’ve been eating basically the same toast and toppings for about the same period.
We’re looking for a new morning meal option that’s easy to gobble on the way to work, and keeps well in the freezer so we don’t have to bake every few days.
These seem like a great option, since it looks like we can put all sorts of healthy things in them, but we’re a bit concerned about the sugar content. Our family is very down-to-earth, so, would honey or cane sugar or something, and maybe a decreased quantity, end up messing up the recipe? My dad’s health isn’t %100, so he doesn’t want to start off with something that’ll make him crave sweets all day…
Hmm, well I think honey would definitely change the texture a bit because it has a higher moisture content than sugar, but cane sugar should be an easier swap. I can’t say for sure what the outcome would be for swapping sweeteners or decreasing the sugar without experimenting with it some, though. Mostly likely you’ll just experience some texture changes.
I’ve made these a few times. Love them! Last batch though, I was a little short on applesauce. I shredded a small apple along with the carrots and increased the oil by a few tablespoons. Couldn’t tell the difference! Very forgiving recipe!
Also, I always throw in the whole 1Lb package of carrots. The rest of the carrots would just spoil in the back of my fridge, but the extra muffins it makes will not!
Do let me know how it turns out! I’m quite curious myself! :)
Beth– thanks for the quick response. I’m not super opposed to the sugar content, just more curious as to what would happen. I might try to make these super tasty looking muffins, but split the batter and leave the sugar out of one batch, just for the sake of experimenting. I’m guessing something strange will happen, seeing as I’ve never seen a muffin recipe that doesn’t call for sugar, but am just curious as to what would happen, especially if you used some really sweet fruit (like pineapple) to compensate. I will let you know!
Sarah Jane – Well, the sugar also plays a roll in creating the right texture. I can’t say for sure what the end product would be like without any sugar added, but I’m pretty sure that it would be quite different in taste and texture.
What would happen if you left out the sugar entirely? Would this just taste like fruity bread?
I’ve made these SO many times! Sometimes I substitute pumpkin for applesauce and diced apples for the carrots. One time I left out the raisins, coconut, and nuts and used pumpkin with coffee and mini chocolate chips!
I was inspired by all your pumpkin recipe roundup, so I replaced the applesauce in this recipe with canned pumpkin and the cinnamon with pumpkin pie spice. The muffins are absolutely delicious!
Oh and replaced sugar with splenda