Capture a Taste of Fall with Morning Glory Muffins
As the weather turns crisp and cool, there is nothing quite like the comforting flavors of fall to warm the soul. One of my favorite ways to capture the essence of the season is through baking, and nothing quite says fall like a batch of warm, fragrant Morning Glory Muffins.
Apples are a cornerstone for fall, making their appearance in grocery stores and roadside stands.
I definitely miss being able to visit an orchard and pick my apples straight from the tree as I did back in New York and Ohio.
Instead, I am bringing up those memories when I capture a taste of fall with Morning Glory Muffins.
What are Morning Glory Muffins?
The recipe for Morning Glory Muffins originated back in 1978 when Chef Pam McKinstry, Earthbound Farm’s culinary consultant, created these muffins 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.
My aunt copied the recipe from that issue of Gourmet Magazine and I made a steady stream of these nutrient-dense muffins during my college years.
These delightful muffins are packed with wholesome ingredients like carrots, apples, nuts, and cinnamon, making them the perfect way to start your day. Not only are they delicious, but they’re also a great way to sneak some extra nutrients into your diet. Plus, they’re easy to make and perfect for meal prepping.
As I have boys that are sensitive to some tastes or textures, I’ve taken the original recipe and modified it for our home. I have a few more modifications that I want to try the next time I make these and I’ll update the recipe if I find they work out well.
This post contains affiliate links that may generate a commission for purchases made through them. There is no additional charge to you for using them.
Making Morning Glory Muffins
This recipe will create some ‘mess’ in the kitchen.
Prepping everything in advance of mixing makes life easier even though it means potentially more things to wash.
I use my Bosch mixer with the Slicer / Shredder attachment to shred both the apple and carrots. I needed about 8 small carrots to get 2 cups of shredded carrots.
Here are a few items to help you with making the muffins.
The muffin tin is one that I bought and LOVE compared to every other muffin tin I own.
And, the red silicone bowls are wonderful for mixing up muffins for baking.
Like many quick bread recipes, this one has dry ingredients sifted together in a large mixing bowl and the wet ingredients mixed in another bowl.
I only mixed the eggs, yogurt, and vanilla in the small bowl before adding to the larger one.
All of the goodies (apples, carrots, nuts, and raisins) were then added after everything else was well incorporated.
If you look at the original recipe you will notice it called for 1 cup of oil.
I elected to use plain Greek yogurt plus 2 tsp of water instead so that I cut the fat down and added some protein.
Alternatively, you could use coconut oil as a healthier fat option.
Capture a Taste of Fall with Morning Glory Muffins
Apples, carrots, raisins and pecans meld into a muffin that captures a taste of fall.
Ingredients
- 2 cups flour
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 1 Tbsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 2 tsp. water
- 1 tsp. real vanilla
- 3/4 cup raisins, soaked in advance to rehydrate if needed
- 1 large apple, peeled and shredded
- 2 cups shredded carrot
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- In a large mixing bowl, sift together the dry ingredients.
- In a smaller mixing bowl, mix together the eggs, Greek yogurt, water and vanilla.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, stirring until all dry ingredients are incorporated. Add the raisins, apple, carrot and pecans to the bowl. Fold until mixed well.
- Disperse mix into 18 regular sized muffin tins. Cooking time stated here is for a regular sized muffin, but can be adjusted for size of muffin.
Notes
The original recipe calls for 1 cup of oil.
If you'd prefer to use an oil, remove the yogurt and 2 Tbsp of water.
This recipe is easy to convert to be gluten-free with the use of a gluten-free flour blend.
I am thinking a massive baking spree is in order so we can freeze off muffins for quick breakfast or snack options on busy school days.
Do you like to bake with apples in the fall or even year-round?
Do you ever bake a large batch of muffins to freeze some or do they disappear before you can do that?
Other Fall Projects & Recipes
For more fun Fall projects and recipes, visit a few of my favorite bloggers:
Easy Paleo Apple Butter Recipe from Confessions of an Overworked Mom
Skillet Apple Pie Roll Recipe from A Mom’s Take
Caramel Apple French Toast Strata from My So Called Balanced Life
Fall Chopped Salad from 2boys+1girl=OneCrazyMom
Caramel Apple Shortbread Parfaits from Simply Southern Mom
Homemade Apple Cider from This Mama Loves
Skillet Apple Crisp from Food Fun Family
Crazy Easy Salted Caramel Apple Dip Recipe from Pretty Opinionated
DIY Apple Stamps from Mom on the Side
Chocolate-Dipped Spiced Caramel Apples from How Was Your Day?
How to Host a Caramel Apple Bar from Life.Family.Joy.
DIY Glittered Sneakers from Style on Main
Apple Pie Ice Cream from Home and Garden Cafe
These sound awesome! I’m putting these on my “To Try” list.
These would be perfect for my boys specially during our busy mornings.
I love fall and I love muffins, so muffins with all the tastes of fall sound wonderful.
Looks so yummy! Thank you for the recipe
Wow! These muffins look delicious. I’m betting that the yogurt and apple makes them extr moist. Can’t wait to try this recipe.
Yum! I have never heard of these before, but they look and sound like heaven! Will definitely have to try them!
With my modifications, you get a less ‘cake’ like muffin. But, it is still pretty tasty and really hits the spot.
I do love cooking with apples. I cook with them in the Fall a lot and I also make big batches of muffins or bread to freeze. These look super yummy!
My kids love muffins these look amazing i will give these a try thanks for sharing
oh wow! talk about a fancy muffin in the morning 🙂 yum! I love how easy they are to make and I do think I have everything to make these 🙂 so I might give this a go for tomorrow morning for church 😉
I have been looking for a good muffin recipe because I have been wanting to make muffins for Fall. This is a great healthy recipe that I am going to make. I love this pretty Morning Glory Muffins. I bet they taste good!
I do love baking with apples, and also do make a big batch of muffins to keep. This is a very nice recipe I’d like to try!
That definitely sounds like a snack I’d enjoy. Love all the additions!