Monday, March 2, 2009

Morning Glory Muffins

We have a bakery here in town that makes fantastic Morning Glory Muffins. They also charge about $3.50 each for them. Obviously I cannot justify the price even if I could afford to buy them. I set out recently to find a decent recipe that was as close as possible to those unattainable ones. There are several online but this one, from Southern Living Magazine, seemed to be the least fussy, featured real carrot, and used a can of crushed pineapple which I found to be an interesting addition. They are excellent but dry out after a couple of days. I think I would probably make a loaf and bake it about 55 mins. next time. Little miniature muffins with cream cheese frosting would be perfect for a brunch, shower or tea. Lots of options as always with a quick bread but the basic recipe can't be beat. It's not too sweet but filling and tastes great. I used walnuts and added a little ginger just 'cause.

Yield
Makes 2 dozen muffins
Ingredients
1 cup chopped pecans
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup canola oil
3 large eggs
2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 (8-oz.) can crushed pineapple, drained
2 large carrots, finely grated (1 cup)
1 cup golden raisins
Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 350°. Bake pecans in a single layer on a baking sheet 5 to 7 minutes or until lightly toasted and fragrant. Cool completely on a wire rack (about 15 minutes).
2. Meanwhile, combine flour, salt, baking soda, ground cinnamon, and nutmeg in a large bowl; make a well in center of mixture.
3. Whisk together sugar, canola oil, eggs, and vanilla extract; fold in crushed pineapple and carrots. Add to flour mixture, stirring just until dry ingredients are moistened. Fold in toasted pecans and raisins. Spoon into lightly greased muffin pans, filling two-thirds full.
4. Bake at 350° for 23 to 25 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire rack 5 minutes. Remove from pans to wire rack, and cool completely (about 30 minutes).
Note: Muffins may be made ahead and frozen for one month.

3 comments:

Robynn's Ravings said...

Looks yummy....wow, $3.50 each? That's pretty steep. Good for you for coming up with an alternative. I wonder if I could cut down on the sugar? I woke up this morning saying, "Okay you reprobate. Time to cut out the c-rap and do the right thing." I'll let you know tomorrow how THAT little lecture worked out.

Treehouse Chef said...

These look yummy! I have never had them so I can't wait to try the recipe.

Frugal Maven said...

I thought the same thing this morning before I ate a toaster strudel! After that I gave it up and moved on. Hope your efforts went better. I'm going to look into the sugar thing. Surely there is a way to lower the amount. I bet you could also use applesauce for the oil.

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