Morning Glory Muffins are a delicious and nutritious way to kick-start your day. Packed with wholesome ingredients like whole wheat flour, flaxseeds, apples, carrots, raisins, applesauce, and honey, these muffins are a perfect blend of healthy and tasty.
In addition to these nutritious ingredients, these muffins are spiced with cinnamon, which adds a wonderful aroma and flavor. The result is a muffin that tastes like a delightful mix of apple cake, spice cake, and moist carrot cake. Perfect for breakfast, these muffins are sure to become a staple in your home.
Morning Glory Muffins: A Healthful Treat
Morning Glory Muffins can be considered a healthy treat, given the wholesome ingredients they contain. While they do have some oil and refined sugar, they are also loaded with nutritious ingredients like fresh fruits and vegetables, applesauce, flaxseeds, honey, and whole wheat flour.
The applesauce in these muffins not only adds moisture but also acts as a substitute for some of the oil. This makes the muffins less greasy and more wholesome. However, it's not recommended to replace all the oil with applesauce as it could result in a rubbery texture.
The Magic of Morning Glory Muffins
What makes these muffins so special? The answer lies in their distinctive taste and texture. The combination of moist ingredients and flavorful spices results in a muffin that is moist, hearty, and satisfying.
These muffins are also great for on-the-go snacks and have been toddler-approved! And the best part? You don't need a mixer to make them. A simple whisk will do the trick, and these muffins freeze beautifully, allowing you to enjoy them at your convenience.
Ingredients and Substitutions
Morning Glory Muffins require a few ingredients, many of which are kitchen staples. However, there are plenty of substitutions you can make to suit your taste buds.
Flour
The recipe calls for whole wheat flour, which adds a nice nutty flavor to the muffins. However, if you prefer, you can substitute the whole wheat flour with all-purpose flour. If gluten is a concern, you can try using a gluten-free flour blend.
Sugar
Brown sugar is used in this recipe for its rich, molasses-like flavor. However, you can substitute it with coconut sugar, which is a dry, unrefined sugar.
Honey
Honey adds a natural sweetness to these muffins, but if you prefer, you can substitute it with brown sugar, coconut sugar, or pure maple syrup.
Oil
The recipe calls for vegetable oil, canola oil, or melted coconut oil. If you prefer, you can substitute the oil with melted butter. However, it's not recommended to completely omit the fat as it could result in a rubbery texture.
Applesauce
Applesauce adds moisture to these muffins and acts as a substitute for some of the oil. If needed, you can substitute the applesauce with melted butter or more oil, apple butter, mashed banana, canned crushed pineapple, or pumpkin puree.
Fruits and Nuts
The recipe calls for shredded carrots and apples, raisins, and pecans. However, you can substitute these with other fruits and nuts of your choice. For instance, you can replace the carrots with more shredded apples or even shredded zucchini. You can replace the apples with shredded zucchini or more shredded carrots. You can replace the raisins with dried cranberries, other chopped dried fruits, or more chopped pecans. And you can replace the pecans with dried cranberries, chopped walnuts or pistachios, sunflower seeds, or more raisins.
Making Morning Glory Muffins
Making Morning Glory Muffins is quite straightforward. You start by combining all the dry ingredients in one bowl and all the wet ingredients in another. Then you mix the two together by hand. The batter will be thick and chunky because of all the flavorful add-ins, but this makes it easy to spoon into the muffin liners.
You will need a grater for the carrots and apple. A box grater, which can also be used as a cheese grater, works well for this purpose. This tool is not only handy for this recipe but also for making zucchini bread, apple muffins, carrot cake, and grating frozen butter for scones.
Baking Morning Glory Muffins
When baking Morning Glory Muffins, you start by baking them at a high temperature for a short time to make them rise quickly. Then you lower the temperature to bake them through. This method ensures that the muffins rise nicely and are baked evenly.
If you prefer mini muffins, you can bake them at a lower temperature for a shorter time.
Enjoy More Healthful Baked Goods
If you enjoyed baking and eating Morning Glory Muffins, you might also enjoy other healthful baked goods like Whole Wheat Banana Bread, Breakfast Cookies, Chocolate Zucchini Bread, Baked Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal Cups, Chocolate Banana Muffins and Blueberry Banana Muffins, Bran Muffins, Vanilla Almond Granola, or Pumpkin Granola.
A Recipe Worth Trying
Morning Glory Muffins are not just a breakfast treat. They are a nourishing snack that you can enjoy any time of the day. With their wholesome ingredients and delightful flavor, these muffins are sure to become a favorite in your home. So, why wait? Try this recipe today, and enjoy the glorious taste of Morning Glory Muffins!