Morning Glory Muffins - Apples Delicious

2 ¼ cups all purpose flour

1 ¼ cups granulated sugar

1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon baking soda

¾ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 cups carrots, grated

⅔ cup canned crushed pineapple, drained

½ cup shredded sweetened coconut

1 large, firm sweet apple; unpeeled, cored and grated

½ cup roughly chopped walnuts

3 large eggs

¾ cup vegetable oil, such as corn or canola

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 F and set rack to the middle position. Line the muffin cups with paper liners or grease with butter. In large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add the carrots, pineapple, coconut, apple, and walnuts; stir to combine. Add the eggs, oil and vanilla. Stir to blend.

Divide the batter among 15 muffin cups, filling each ⅔ of the way to the top. Bake until the muffins are puffed and golden and a toothpick comes out clean; about 25 minutes. Let the muffins cool in the pan on a rack for 10 minutes, then turn them out to cool for another 10 minutes; serve warm.

Recipe Notes

The Morning Glory Cafe was a famous Nantucket Island gathering spot in the 1970’s & 1980’s. It was there that chef/owner Pat McKinstry introduced the muffins that would immortalize her restaurant. Gourmet magazine printed the recipe in 1981 and they began appearing at bakeries and cafes around the country. Packed as they are with apples, walnuts, coconut, pineapple, and carrots, they’re like a healthy wake-up call for your taste buds.

Any sweet apple will work well with this recipe. This recipe also works well if you prep the batter the night before and then finish it in the morning. You can also freeze the finished muffins in a zip lock bag up to 2 months.

Makes: 15 muffins

Prep time: 25 minutes

Cook time: 25 minutes