Morning Glory Muffins

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On a chilly fall morning, there’s nothing better than enjoying a cup of coffee paired with a hearty, perfectly spiced morning glory muffin loaded with raisins, apples, carrots, coconut and nuts. It’s a special morning treat that will fool your stomach that it’s eating carrot cake for breakfast.

This recipe is a special request from my husband who is addicted to the the Morning Glory Muffins at Fresh Thyme Market. I was purchasing them on repeat for him up until a few months ago when they suddenly started adding a sugary crumb topping to the muffins. This was sacrilege according to my husband who preferred his muffins to be naked on top. So he asked if I could try to recreate the OG version of these muffins. Spoiler alert: I think I made them even better!

If you’re not quite sure what a morning glory muffin is, it’s basically a carrot cake, spice cake and apple cake disguise together as one delicious muffin. I like to tell myself that these “muffins” are healthier than their cake counterparts because they’re loaded with other wholesome ingredients you don’t typically see in cake recipes. Granted, at the end of the day, they’re still muffins so there are, of course, healthier breakfast choices.

These Morning Glory Muffins Contain:

• Whole Wheat Flour
• Applesauce
• Wheat Germ
• Flax Seeds
• Walnuts
• Chia Seeds

My favorite part about these muffins? The recipe is super flexible and adaptable. You can easily swap in a number of other ingredients into these muffins to suit your dietary needs and/or taste preferences. I’ve included a list of ingredient substitutions at the end of this post.

How to Make the Best Morning Glory Muffins

Don’t be intimidated by the long list of ingredients for these muffins. Each one plays an important role in making these muffins hearty, fluffy, moist and delicious! In terms of process, mixing up this muffin batter couldn’t be easier. All you’ll need a stand mixer and a second bowl for mixing the dry ingredients. You can also of course make this recipe without a stand mixer and use some good, old-fashioned elbow grease and a wooden spoon to mix all the ingredients by hand.

Step 1: Blend Dry Ingredients

In a large bowl, combine the flours, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside until it’s time to add to the wet ingredients.

Step 2: Mix Wet Ingredients

Next, in the bowl of a stand mixer, mix together the carrot, pineapple, coconut, apple, raisins, molasses, egg, canola oil and apple sauce. Once well-blended, add the walnuts and remaining spices to the wet ingredients.

Step 3: Combine Wet & Dry Ingredients

With your mixer on its lowest setting, gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Mix until everything is just barely moist and no flour lumps remain. Note that this is a thicker batter.

Tip: The trick to soft, fluffy muffins is to not overdevelop the gluten in the flour by overmixing the batter. I like to let my batter rest for 15-20 minutes and sometimes up to an hour before baking. This extra step gives the gluten a chance to relax and also helps the muffins get that perfect domed top we all love.

Step 4: Fill Muffin Tin

Prepare your muffin tin by either using muffin liners or grease with butter or cooking spray. This recipe makes about 12 standard-size muffins.

Carefully spoon the muffin batter into the muffin cups; filling a little more than 3/4 full. With these muffins being so loaded with “stuff” they tend to not overflow the muffin pan while baking—so don’t worry about that—I promise! You can honestly fill the muffin cup almost all the way to the top without any issues.

Step 5: Bake

Place the muffins into a preheated 425°F oven with the rack in the upper third of your oven. Bake for 5-6 minutes and then reduce the heat to 350°F and bake for an additional 10-12 minutes. Remove and let cool in the muffin tin for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Tip: The easiest way to tell if the muffins are done is to insert a toothpick into the center of a muffin and see if it comes out clean. I also like to gently press the center of the muffins with my finger. If they feel firm to the touch and an imprint of your finger is not left behind on the muffin, they’re ready to remove.

An Easy, Optional Streusel Topping

I’m going to go out on a limb and guess that my husband is in the minority when it comes to adding a topping for added sweetness and crunch to muffins. Personally, I’m pro-streusel all the way every day and I’m guessing some of you are too. Therefore, here’s a quick and dirty recipe for a streusel topping you can add to these muffins right before baking.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons wheat germ (optional)
• 1/4 cup rolled oats
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon butter, cold
• 2 tablespoons walnuts or pumpkin seeds

Directions

In a small bowl combine the brown sugar, wheat germ, rolled oats and cinnamon. Next, use a fork or clean hands to mash the butter into the dry ingredients. Continue working the butter until coarse crumbs form. Add the walnuts or pumpkin seeds and give everything a final mix. Then, use the streusel to generously top each muffin prior to baking.

Tip: I like to gently press the streusel into the batter before baking. This helps it adhere better to the muffin as it bakes.

Ingredient Substitutions

As mentioned, I love how versatile this recipe is. There are countless options for ingredient swaps to make these muffins healthier, less healthy or accommodate different dietary needs or restrictions. Here are a few I recommend:

• Applesauce: You can make these muffins healthier by swapping the oil for applesauce in a 1:1 ratio.
• Banana: Add a mashed, well-ripened banana to this recipe for some added banana flavor and moisture. If you add a banana, you can omit the egg—making these muffins a great vegan breakfast treat!
• Dried Fruit: Feel free to swap the golden raisings for regular raisins, dried cranberries, dried cherries or blueberries. Whatever you prefer will work great in this recipe.
• Nut Butter: Add some protein and healthy fats to these muffins by swapping the oil for your choice of nut butter. Peanut butter, almond butter, cashew butter, or tahini are all great options.
• All-Purpose Flour: If you don’t have whole wheat flour, or prefer to omit it from this recipe, you can replace it with all-purpose flour.
• Whole Wheat Flour: Omit the all-purpose flour and use 100% whole wheat flour. Replace in a 1:1 ratio.
• Oat Flour: For a gluten-free alternative, swap 1 cup of all-purpose flour and 1/2 cup of whole wheat flour for 2 cups of oat flour. Note the final muffin texture will be slightly different.
• Pears: Swap the apples for an equal amount of ripe, peeled pears
• Zucchini: swap all or part of the grated carrots for grated zucchini.
• Other Nuts or Seeds: Swap the chia seeds, flax seeds and/or walnuts for any other nuts or seeds you have in your pantry. Pumpkin seeds, pecans and sunflower seeds are all great options.
• Orange Zest: For a little citrus zing, add the zest of one orange to the batter
• Other Spices: Feel free to adjust the ratios and amounts of the spices used in this recipe to suit your tastes. Extra cinnamon? Go for it! Not a fan or ginger? Reduce or omit. Want to add a dash or cardamom? Be my guest!

This is just a sampling of possible substitutions and swaps. I encourage you to experiment with this morning glory muffins recipe and try your own variations and adapt it to suit your lifestyle. If you have a question about a possible substitution, feel free to leave me a comment below. I’ll do my best to let you know if it will work with this recipe based on my testing.

If you make these loaded morning glory muffins, snap a photo and tag me on social media it’s @frydaeblog and #frydaeblog absolutely everywhere!  Please consider leaving a rating for this recipe too and let me know your thoughts below in the comments. I love hearing for you.

Are you looking for more fall bakery treats? Try these Pumpkin Blueberry Morning Buns next.