Breakfast

The Original Morning Glory Muffins

Active Time: 20 minutes • Total Time: 65 minutes

Yields: 16 Servings

The Original Morning Glory Muffins Earthbound Farm
Comments Rating 4.96 (27 reviews)
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Ingredients

  • 1 1/4 cups sugar
  • 2 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup shredded, sweetened coconut
  • 3/4 cup raisins
  • 1 large crisp apple, peeled and grated
  • 1 cup Earthbound Farm Frozen Organic Pineapple Chunks
  • 2 cups grated Earthbound Farm Organic Carrots
  • 1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans or walnuts
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

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Earthbound Farm’s culinary consultant, Chef Pam McKinstry, created these muffins in 1978 for her eponymous restaurant on Nantucket Island. The recipe was first published in Gourmet Magazine in 1981, and in 1991 it was chosen as one of the magazine’s 25 favorite recipes from the past 50 years.

These muffins are substantial enough to be satisfying day-starters or significant snacks. Chock-full of produce, they’re a great way to get more produce into your day (organic, of course).

What’s more, these muffins have some staying power; they actually taste better a day after baking, when the flavors have married. Store them at room temperature, covered, for up to 3 days, or freeze them for up to 2 months.

Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F.

Sift or whisk together the sugar, flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt into a large bowl. Add the coconut, raisins, apple, pineapple, carrots and nuts, and stir to combine.

In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs with the oil and vanilla. Pour into the bowl with the dry ingredients and blend well.

Spoon the batter into muffin tins lined with muffin cups, filling each to the brim. Bake for 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Cool muffins in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a rack to finish cooling.

Per serving (1 muffin): Calories 360, Fat 19 grams, Cholesterol 40 mg, Sodium 250 mg, Carbohydrates 45 grams, Fiber 2 grams, Sugars 27 grams, Protein 4 grams.


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39 comments on “The Original Morning Glory Muffins

  1. (4)

    I made these for my co-workers one day and everyone loved them! .I work for food services in a high school cafeteria. so..I wanted something a little healthier than my usual baked goods. My one boss is leaving and requested these one more time before she leaves. Thank you so much for this recipe! I use currants instead of raisins and mix my nuts..use canned pineapple, but do everything else the same.

  2. Best morning glory muffins!

    (5)

    I rea many recipes before making these.
    They are absolutely wonderful,! Not to sweet, very moist and the best morning glory muffins I have ever tasted. Made another batch immediately and put them in the freezer. I will be serving these on my next yoga retreat!
    YUM!!!!

  3. Absolutely perfect!

    (5)

    These are just as good if not better than the local bakery. I substitute one cup of flour with rolled oats.

  4. THE BEST I'VE EVER TASTED!

    (5)

    i made the muffins for my department and brought them in for breakfast without hesitation I told everyone that the muffins are very healthy and try them you will love them…Love them they did. The muffins were a hit and everyone loves eating something healthy that taste really good.
    Thank you for this recipe.

  5. The ONLY Muffin Worth Baking!

    (5)

    I started making these in the early 80’s from the magazine recipe. My go to ground cinnamon started tasting bland so I swapped it for roasted ground cinnamon, and the flavor was so good! I always use a big sweet Honey Crisp Apple, and I make them in my giant muffin tins. I mean I was gonna eat two anyway!

    • Morning glory muffins

      (5)

      I have had the original back in the 80’s from the Cafe in Nantucket. I have made this recipe many times but put in the exlarge muffin tin. This time I put in the normal size a 1/2 cup to top. I just looked in oven they are spreading all over the top looks like they may stick together. Also I chopped the apple an pineapple. Hope they come out ok

  6. Morning glory muffins

    (5)

    I have had the original back in the 80’s from the Cafe in Nantucket. I have made this recipe many times but put in the exlarge muffin tin. This time I put in the normal size a 1/2 cup to top. I just looked in oven they are spreading all over the top looks like they may stick together. Also I chopped the apple an pineapple. Hope they come out ok

  7. Brings back awesome memories!

    (5)

    I ate my first Morning Glory Muffin at the Morning Glory Cafe in Nantucket in 1979 or ‘80. Thanks Pam for the memories and now I can share these with my family. Be well…

  8. Can I decrease the amount Sugar?

    (5)

    I’d like to reduce the amount of sugar as I have diabetics in my family. Can I reduce the sugar? If so, by how much?

    • Hey Sue…we don’t have Pam on staff any longer to ask. But you could certainly experiment. If I wanted to reduce the glycemic load of this recipe, I might use Coconut Palm Sugar (has a lower glycemic load) and cut the total amount down to 3/4 cup as a start. I’ll bet you’ll be fine. Maybe just keep a closer eye on them while they are baking. Start checking at 25 minutes, just in case.

    • Lankanto Brand Monkfruit Sweetener is a good sugar substitute

      (5)

      I used 1/3 cup Lankanto Monkfruit Sweetener w/ Erythritol bought at Costco instead if sugar with success. My husband thought it tasted like sugar. If you are used to eating really sweet food you may need to add more of the Monkfruit Sweetener than 1/3 cup. This sweetner is zero glycemic and zero calorie.

  9. Substitution question

    (5)

    These muffins are legendary. May I substitute gluten free baking flour for all purpose wheat flour? If so what ingredients in the gluten free blend are esstential?

    • Lynne, that’s a great question. I think you should be fine if you choose a really high quality gluten free flour. I’ve had the best luck with King Arthur’s Gluten-free All Purpose flour or the Gluten Free Measure for Measure Flour. I would be confident making these great muffins with either of those. If you try it, let us know how it works out.

  10. (5)

    I came across this recipe while looking for the muffin recipe from one of the S F Junior League cookbooks. This is very similar
    I’m anxious to try this recipe. I’ve always ground the walnuts (toasted first) and raisins together in my quisinart with the steel blade until they’re almost a paste (for my family members who think they don’t like them). I chop the carrots and apples In my quisinart too, carefully using the pulse button.
    I’ve sometimes add chopped dried (California) apricots. What a flavor they add! Thanks for the recipe.

  11. Pear for Pineapple

    (5)

    Made these for the first time today… a snow day! I didn’t have pineapple, so I grated a pear instead. I also zested a tangelo along with the lemon, and put in a generous handful of golden raisins. They were so good the kids couldn’t even tell I used GF (King Arthur measure for measure) flour!

  12. Amazing. Just one little problem...

    (5)

    Phenomenally good MG Muffins. Only problem is in the heading, where it says “Active Time: 20 min, Total Time: 45 min.” I went to make these in a hurry, to take to a friend’s home. Had JUST enough time, according to the heading. Well, the 20 min put-together time was pretty accurate + or -, but then I got to the baking and it says “35 min.” Last I checked, 20 + 35 adds up to more than 45. So, we had delicious muffins, but we were late. Part of the problem of online recipes, where you can’t see the whole page in your window, ie the info at top and info at bottom at the same time.
    On a lighter note, I do sugar-free baking, so used monkfruit sweetener with this recipe–slightly less than called for– it worked just fine.

  13. The best!

    (5)

    Before moving South I lived in Racine WI. And every morning without fail I would stop at the bakery and get one of their giant Morning Glory Muffins! One was enough to keep my hunger on hold until mid-afternoon. Well since then I’ve searched and searched for a Morning Glory recipe that would equal theirs in taste but with no luck. But by chance I found this one! And I’m now on my second batch!! These are amazing! They’re chunky, not too sweet, moist and very flavorful!! Thank You soo much for this recipe!! Its a definite keeper🤗

  14. Morning Glory Muffins

    (5)

    My family loved them, but I would like to reduce the amount of sugar or try coconut sugar with a lower glycemic index

      • Coconut sugar

        (5)

        Hi Sam, we’re trying to reduce our sugar intake and I noticed your comment about coconut sugar. Is it used measure for measure with regular sugar?

        • That’s how I use it. It does taste a little different — not as sweet, of course, but also it has a slightly nutty or roasty flavor. I really like more than regular or brown sugar in a recipe like this.

  15. Giant or Regular

    (5)

    Is the muffin count/cooking time for a giant muffin tin or a regular? The photo looks like it’s a giant but I can’t tell 100%. 🙂

  16. Perfect Muffins

    (5)

    Since I made these first time few years ago, they became my favorite. They are full of wonderful ingredients, easy to make and the recipe is easily tweaked and still the results are great. I soak raisins in rum or pineapple jusice (or just water), reduce sugar to 1cup, and if I don’t have enough carrots, i put another apple in it. I fill regular size tins 3/4 full and they come out perfect. If you overfill, they will rise, spread and stick together. They are even better the next day, and can last up to 3 days and are stil very good and moist. Usually, they are gone by day two. My family loves them, my coworkers cannot get enough of these. Thank you for a great recipe.

  17. Customizable

    (5)

    I had to make a flour substitute. I had bread flour but no plain. I used it instead and they turned out just fine. What I like about making these is that if I have applesauce instead of apples or crushed pineapple instead of cubed, the muffins come out great. It’s a very forgiving recipe. Everyone loves them and I freeze them and use as wanted.

  18. Question - Jumbo muffin tins

    (5)

    At what temperature and for how long would you recommend baking if I use a jumbo muffin tin?

    • Lauren, I would keep the temp the same and check your muffins at the 35 minute mark, but plan that they may need up to another 5 minutes.

  19. Question...

    (5)

    If using canned pineapple, what size can… and should it be drained?
    Also, the pineapple that’s called for is frozen… do you thaw it first? Do you leave it in chunks?

    Thank you.

    • Since it’s one cup of frozen pineapple, it would be the same amount for canned pineapple. That’s probably a 20 oz can. Yes, it should definitely be drained. If you get pineapple in heavy syrup, I would also rinse it. You could get chunks or crushed — either would work. If you use frozen, you can leave it in chunks or crush it if you prefer smaller bits of pineapple.

  20. You can substitute at least some of the sugar for stevia

    (5)

    I substituted 1/2 cup of the sugar for Stevia and they turned out great. I’m sure you could substitute even more if wanted. I used Stevia in the Raw.

  21. Question

    (5)

    Makes 16 muffins- I need to make these in one (6 cup) muffin tin at a time. Can the muffin mix sit for the time it takes to bake the first (and second) batch? Should I refrigerate for a few minutes and/or cover while waiting?
    Thank you for the recipe.

    • Hi there, Cindy. To be safe, I would refrigerate it while waiting. The muffins might even be tastier since that gives the flour a bit more time to hydrate. But then let the batter come to room temp before baking. So you might only be refrigerating for part of the time while the other muffins are baking. But if you don’t need all the muffins right away, you can certainly keep the batter in the refrigerator for a few days then bake later. But if that’s the case, keep it covered. Enjoy!

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