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A Morning Glory Muffin Recipe You Will Love
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A morning glory muffin is basically carrot cake and I’m not going to pretend otherwise. Grated carrots, warm spices, raisins and walnuts, minus the cream cheese frosting and plus enough fruit that you might actually meet your quota for servings of fruit for the day. Our muffins get their moisture from California prune puree and a good California olive oil, with grated Granny Smith apple for tartness, which keeps them soft for days instead of going dry by Tuesday. They’re also gluten-free, though I’ve never had anyone figure that out on their own.
Morning Glory Muffins – Full of CA GROWN Goodness
What are morning glory muffins made of? Carrots and apple, mostly. Everything else is negotiable.
The dry ingredients are simple enough: gluten-free cup-for-cup all-purpose flour whisked together with baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. The wet ingredients start to build the flavor. Eggs, brown sugar, applesauce, olive oil, orange zest and juice, vanilla – and the prune puree that’s quietly doing most of the heavy lifting. Then, in go three cups of grated carrots and a cup of peeled and grated Granny Smith apple. The walnuts and golden raisins are folded in last, so they don’t sink to the bottom.
I know, three cups of shredded carrots sounds like a lot for twelve muffins. It is, and that heavy load of produce is exactly what keeps the crumb so moist and tender.
Grate them yourself on a box grater or in a food processor with the fine grating disc if you’ve got the time. Bagged shredded carrots are drier and cut thicker, so they stay weirdly crunchy in the finished muffin instead of melting into the crumb. Same goes for the apple. A bit of time shredding yourself makes all the difference in this recipe.
Where Did Morning Glory Muffins Come From?
Morning Glory Muffins trace back to Nantucket in 1978. A chef named Pam McKinstry put them on the menu at her café and summer visitors started carrying the recipe home, which in those days meant scribbling it on a napkin. Gourmet magazine ran it in 1981. Ten years after that, readers voted it one of the magazine’s all-time favorite recipes, which is a solid run for a recipe that was probably invented to use up the chef’s extra produce before it turned.
The original had crushed pineapple, shredded coconut, and raisins in there alongside the carrot and apple. The fact is, pretty much every classic morning glory muffin recipe floating around today is a descendant of that one.
Why Are They Called Morning Glory Muffins?
Because the café was called the Morning Glory, and the muffin took the name on its way out the door. No flowers involved – just a whole lot of fresh produce goodness.
Something with this much fruit and vegetable packed into it does feel like a small win at breakfast, especially on the mornings you’re eating it over the sink with your car keys already in your hand.
Almost Everything In This Mixing Bowl Is CA GROWN
This is the part most people don’t see coming, and it’s my favorite thing about the recipe.
Start with the apples. Granny Smith is one of the four main varieties grown in the Golden State. El Dorado County grows the most and is home to Apple Hill, a fall pilgrimage spot for cider donuts and U-pick orchards. Apple trees want cool nights, so most of California’s orchards sit near the coast around Santa Cruz and Sonoma, or up in the foothills at Apple Hill, Julian, and Oak Glen.
California Apples: First Picked, Fresh, and Full of Flavor
When most people think apples, the Pacific Northwest usually gets the spotlight. But here’s the thing: upper Northern California has an ideal climate for growing apples, especially a few standout varieties. California focuses on four main ones: Gala, Fuji, Granny Smith, and Cripps Pink, all known for their balance of sweetness, crunch, and versatility.
Apples are grown in all 50 states, but only 36 states grow them commercially. California ranks as the 5th-largest apple producer in the country and the 2nd-largest exporter. Harvest season runs from July through October, with California apples being the first out of the field in July. Unlike apples that sit in long-term storage, California apples are picked and delivered fresh, resulting in more flavor and better texture.
Prunes are the sleeper ingredient in this recipe. California grows one specific variety of plums for prunes and it’s called the Petit d’Agen, and it carries just enough sugar to ripen fully on the tree without fermenting. Over 80% of the crop comes out of the Sacramento Valley, with the rest from the San Joaquin. Blend those prunes with hot water and you get a luscious prune puree, which brings moisture and a little caramel depth to these muffins.
California Prunes: Small Fruit, Big Glow-Up
All prunes are plums, but not all plums can be prunes. Only certain varieties have what it takes, which is why it’s worth looking for prunes from California.
Fresh California prunes are dried in climate-controlled tunnels, a process farmers have perfected by carefully balancing temperature, humidity, and time.
Prunes support gut health, heart health, and bone health, too. Their natural sweetness and moisture make them a smart way to reduce added sugar and even oil in recipes, especially when using prune puree.
Then there’s the olive oil. California produces oil from more than seventy-five olive varieties, and reaching for a fruity extra virgin instead of neutral vegetable oil puts a savory note underneath all that sweetness. It’s a small swap that you actually notice.
A Word About California Extra Virgin Olive Oil:
Want to be sure your olive oil is fresh, the highest quality, and the real deal? Look for the COOC seal on bottles of California Extra Virgin Olive Oil to make sure you’re getting delicious 100% Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Certified California EVOO uses stricter standards than international requirements, requiring the oil to pass chemical testing and a sensory analysis by a group of experts, called an organoleptic panel evaluation.
Morning Glory Muffin Variations Worth Trying
This recipe is forgiving, which is exactly why it’s been a crowd favorite muffin variety for almost fifty years. We aren’t the first to recreate this classic, in fact we were vibing on pure creative influence from Irvin Lin – one of our very own California Grown Creators.
Our inspiration! We loved this version so much we had to make our own version.
Our friend Irvin Lin of Eat the Love built his Carrot Muffins with California Prunes, pecans and sunflower seeds as a riff on the classic morning glory muffin. He swapped California Prunes in for the raisins and added sunflower seeds for crunch. Not the same muffin, but you can see the family resemblance.
Here are some other directions to take the flavors of your next Morning Glory Muffin your own:
- Go full 1978. Add half a cup of shredded coconut and a drained eight-ounce can of crushed pineapple in the mix.
- More prunes. Swap the golden raisins for chopped California prunes and lean all the way in.
- Different nut. Pistachios are excellent here. Sunflower seeds work if you’re avoiding tree nuts.
- Not baking gluten-free? Regular all-purpose flour subs in one for one. Trade one cup of the regular flour for whole wheat flour if you want heartier muffins.
- Change the citrus. Lemon zest and juice instead of orange gives you a sharper, brighter finish.
- Deepen the spice. A quarter teaspoon of ground ginger or cardamom instead of the nutmeg blends well alongside the cinnamon.
A few things that make better muffins
Stop mixing before you think you should. A few pockets of flour in the batter are completely fine. Overmix and you beat the air out, and you’ll end up with dense muffins nobody wanted.
Portioning is where people get shy. About half a cup of batter per cup in a 12-cup muffin tin, right up near the rim, is how you get the tall bakery-style dome instead of flat little pucks. It’ll look like too much, and it isn’t. That 400°F (200°C) oven gives the batter a fast initial rise and sorts it out.
Twenty minutes is when I start checking. Your cake tester or toothpick should come out with a few moist crumbs on it, not wet batter. Ten minutes cooling in the pan before they move to a wire rack, because pulling them early is how they tear in half.
Store them in an airtight container at room temperature and they’re better on day two and three, once everything settles. Beyond that, freeze them and thaw overnight on the counter.
Go Ahead, Make A Double Batch
I say this about most muffins, and I mean it more here. These improve overnight, and you will have eaten your way through most of the first pan before the night is over – so why not make a double batch? The batter comes together in two bowls in about twenty minutes, so doubling it costs you almost nothing.
Also, these muffins freeze great, heat quickly in a microwave or toaster oven, and will also thaw completely between your morning rush and lunch time at the office. Meal prep at its finest!
Love Carrot Cake Inspired Recipes? Us too! Here are a Few More Favorites to Try Next
We are a sucker for anything boasting the delicious flavors of carrot cake. From smoothies to scones, we have been dreaming up carrot cake-inspired masterpieces for quite some time.
Carrot Cake Smoothie
Cake for breakfast? Yes, please! Our carrot cake-inspired twist on a healthy smoothie for breakfast is exactly what the new year ordered. It’s vibrant, chock-full of California-grown fruit and vegetables, and is really delicious too!
The Best Carrot Cake Recipes Round Up Featuring Carrot Olive Oil Cake
Our carrot cake-inspired Carrot Olive Oil Cake has a tender, moist crumb bursting with the sweet flavor of carrots and raisins, a hint of nutty richness from almond flour and pistachios, and the fruity notes of olive oil, and warm spices. This recipe is a simple, delicious twist on classic carrot cake recipes that we know you are going to love!
Carrot Raisin Walnut Scone
We have a feeling that once you’ve tried this scone recipe, it will be on repeat in your house! These scones are of full of delicious ingredients that are always in season in California, like almonds, walnuts, carrots, and raisins. So you can indulge all year round in this delicious carrot cake-inspired recipe for scones.
Need a new soundtrack for your kitchen? Check out this CA GROWN Spotify playlist:
Are you planning on making Morning Glory Muffins? We’d love to see your creations! Share your photos with us by tagging #CAGROWN on social media.
Don’t stop here! Follow us on Pinterest for more fresh and fabulous recipe inspiration. Dive into the world of CA GROWN goodness, and let’s make every meal a celebration of the Golden State’s bounty.
Morning Glory Muffins
Ingredients
- 2 cups gluten-free cup for cup all purpose flour spooned and leveled
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 tsp coarse kosher salt
- 2 large eggs
- ¼ cup prune puree recipe follows in the recipe card notes
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup applesauce
- ½ cup olive oil
- Zest of 1 large orange
- ¼ cup freshly squeezed orange juice
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste or extract
- 3 cups grated carrots about 5 good-sized carrots
- 1 cup peeled and grated Granny Smith apple about 2 small apples.
- ¾ cup walnut pieces
- ½ cup golden raisins
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F (200℃) and grease a 12-cup muffin tin or line it with paper liners.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, nutmeg, and salt.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, brown sugar, prune puree, applesauce, olive oil, orange zest, orange juice, and vanilla. Add the shredded carrots and apples and mix to combine.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined. Fold in the walnuts and raisins.
- Evenly divide the batter among the prepared muffin cups, adding about ½ cup to each one.
- Bake the muffins for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the tops spring back to the touch and a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Video
Notes
• 16 ounces pitted California Prunes
• 1 ½ cups hot water
Combine the prunes and water in a blender. Pulse to combine, then blend until a smooth, pourable consistency forms, scraping the sides if necessary.
Store the purée in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 months. Can you substitute the gluten free flour? Yes, you can either swap in regular ap flour cup for the g-free alternative. Or you can substitute 1 cup whole wheat flour and 1 cup ap flour for a slightly heartier muffin.