morning glory muffins

Nom nom nom... (I'm eating one of these as I type this blog post)

So, I'm usually not that into muffins because they really just seem like cupcakes in disguise. Morning glory muffins, on the other hand, are chock full of all sorts of delicious, good for you things. My morning glory muffins have oat bran, shredded carrots, applesauce, raisins, walnuts and coconut, but there are tons of other options. In the future, I plan on experimenting with shredded zucchini, pumpkin puree and pineapple. If you're planning to experiment with other ingredients, just try to keep the ratio of wet to dry ingredients the same to keep the consistency of the batter the same.

That being said, they are still muffins and still have a decent amount of sugar so I'm reserving these for those long, lazy weekend mornings when I want something special with my cup of coffee. The recipe makes 14 and since I'm only planning to eat them as a treat, the majority will be frozen. Baked goods freeze beautifully, just make sure to wrap them up tightly to prevent freezer burn.





Total Recipe cost: $4.47
Servings Per Recipe: 14
Cost per serving: $0.25 each
Prep time: 20 min. Cook time: 30 min. Total: 50 min.

INGREDIENTS		COST
1 cup	all-purpose flour	$0.10
1 cup	whole wheat flour	$0.16
1/2 cup	oat bran	$0.52
1 cup	sugar	$0.18
2 tsp	baking soda	$0.08
2 tsp	cinnamon	$0.12
1/4 tsp	salt	$0.02
1/2 cup	vegetable oil	$0.24
3/4 cup	unsweetened applesauce	$0.38
3 lg	eggs	$0.53
1 tsp	vanilla	$0.28
2 cups (4 med)	carrots, shredded	$0.49
1/2 cup	raisins	$0.28
1/2 cup	walnuts, chopped	$0.84
1/2 cup	shredded coconut	$0.25
TOTAL		$4.47

STEP 1: Wash and peel the carrots. Using a cheese shredder, shred the carrots into a bowl and then set them aside. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

STEP 2: In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients: all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, oat bran, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Stir until everything is evenly combined.

STEP 3: In another fairly large bowl, combine the wet ingredients: vegetable oil, applesauce, eggs and vanilla. Whisk until evenly combined. Stir in the carrots, raisins, walnuts and coconut.

STEP 4: Pour the bowl of wet ingredients into the bowl of dry ingredients and stir just until everything is moistened and combined. Over stirring can give the muffins an undesirable texture.

STEP 5: Line a muffin tin with paper cups or spray with non-stick spray. Fill the cups to the top with the muffin batter. Bake in the oven at 375 degrees for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool on a wire rack.

Step By Step Photos

Put all of the dry ingredients in a bowl (flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, salt). Yes, there is a bowl there, it's just glass so you can't see it.


Stir it all up so it's evenly mixed.


Put all of the wet ingredients in a second bowl (oil, applesauce, eggs, vanilla).


Whisk until evenly combined.


Add the rest of the ingredients (shredded carrots, walnuts, raisins, coconut) to the wet ingredients and stir it up.


Pour the wet ingredients onto the dry ingredients...


And stir it up. Stir only until everything has moistened and mixed evenly. Over stirring can give the muffins a poor texture.


Fill the muffin tin up to the top of the wells. Bake at 375 degrees (preheated oven) for about 30 minutes.


Let the muffins cool on a wire rack.


Enjoy with a hot cup of coffee while sitting on your porch watching the world go by...