Before you start
Morning glory muffins are the kitchen sink genre done right: carrot, apple, coconut, raisins and walnuts in a cinnamon batter, invented in a Nantucket café in the seventies and photocopied onto every wholesome menu since. The grated apple matters as much as the carrot: it dissolves into the crumb and keeps the whole dense muffin moist for days.
Everything you need
- 2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup (165 g) light brown sugar, packed
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp fine salt
- 1½ cups (165 g) grated carrot
- 1 apple, coarsely grated
- ½ cup (83 g) raisins
- ½ cup (40 g) shredded coconut
- ½ cup (59 g) walnuts, chopped
- 3 eggs
- ⅔ cup (145 g) vegetable oil
- 1 orange, zested and juiced
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
Weigh, don't scoop. Measuring flour by cups can overpack it and dry out your bake. Tap any ingredient to open its converter.
Method
-
Heat the oven to 190°C / 375°F. Line a 12 hole tin with tulip cases if you have them, since these rise generously.
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Whisk the flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a large bowl.
For this step
- 2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup (165 g) light brown sugar
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp fine salt
-
Stir in the carrot, apple, raisins, coconut and walnuts until everything is dusted with flour.
For this step
- 2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour
- 1½ cups (165 g) grated carrot
- 1 apple
- ½ cup (83 g) raisins
- ½ cup (40 g) shredded coconut
- ½ cup (59 g) walnuts
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Whisk the eggs, oil, orange zest and juice, and vanilla in a jug. Pour in and fold until just combined. The batter is thick and rubbly.
For this step
- 3 eggs
- 1 orange
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
-
Divide between the cases, mounding them full, and bake 20 to 24 minutes until deep gold and a skewer comes out clean.
-
Cool in the tin 10 minutes, then on a rack. They're better after an hour, and better still the next morning.
Baker's tips
- Grate the carrot on the fine side and the apple on the coarse. Fine carrot disperses, coarse apple leaves little melting pockets.
- These are meant to be dense and damp, not fluffy. Judging them against a cupcake is a category error.
Make it your own
- Swap raisins for chopped dates, or add 2 tablespoons of sunflower seeds to the tops.
- Half whole-wheat flour works well here and leans into the café character.
Storing & freezing
Airtight for 4 days, improving for the first two. They freeze for 3 months and are the correct thing to have in a freezer.
Frequently asked
What is in a morning glory muffin?
The classic set: carrot, apple, raisins, coconut and walnuts in a cinnamon batter with oil and orange. It was created at the Morning Glory Café on Nantucket in 1978.
Why did my morning glory muffins come out wet?
The apple and carrot carry a lot of water. Grate the apple and squeeze it lightly if it's very juicy, measure the carrot after grating, and bake to a fully clean skewer.
Baking in a different unit? Use the cups ↔ grams converter or the recipe scaler to halve or double this recipe.
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A note on cooking safely. Recipes are provided for informational purposes only and are not medical or nutritional advice. Cooking times, temperatures and quantities are suggestions: use your own judgement, and check that meat, poultry, fish and eggs are properly cooked before serving.
Consult a qualified healthcare professional before making dietary changes, particularly if you have allergies, a medical condition or specific nutritional requirements.