Description
Morning Glory Muffins bursting with carrots, apples, and pineapple. Bake these wholesome, fruity muffins for a delightful, vibrant start to your day. So easy!
Ingredients
- Dry Essentials:
- All-Purpose Flour: 1 ¾ cups (210g)
- Granulated Sugar: ½ cup (100g)
- Light Brown Sugar, packed: ¼ cup (50g)
- Baking Soda: 1 teaspoon
- Baking Powder: 1 teaspoon
- Ground Cinnamon: 2 teaspoons
- Ground Nutmeg: ¼ teaspoon
- Salt: ½ teaspoon
- Wet Wonders:
- Large Eggs, room temperature: 2
- Vegetable Oil (or other neutral oil): ½ cup (120ml)
- Vanilla Extract: 1 teaspoon
- Fruity & Veggie Stars:
- Carrots, freshly grated: 1 cup (about 2 medium)
- Apple, shredded (e.g., Granny Smith or Fuji): 1 cup (about 1 medium)
- Crushed Pineapple, well-drained: 1 (8-ounce) can
- Raisins (or dried cranberries): ½ cup
- Optional Boosters:
- Chopped Walnuts or Pecans: ½ cup
Instructions
- Prep Your Dry Ingredients:: Grab a large bowl and whisk together your flour, sugars, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Give it a good whisk to make sure everything is evenly distributed. This step is crucial for even rising! I sometimes get a little too excited and forget to really combine it all, which means some muffins get more lift than others. It’s a simple step, but don’t rush it. You want to see that beautiful, uniform sandy color.
- Combine the Wet Ingredients:: In a separate, medium-sized bowl, lightly whisk your eggs. Then, pour in the vegetable oil and vanilla extract. Whisk these together until they’re just combined and look like a pale yellow, smooth mixture. Don’t overdo it here; you’re not trying to create a meringue, just bringing them together. My little helper once tried to use a hand mixer for this and we had egg everywhere, so a simple whisk is truly your friend!
- Bring It All Together:: Now for the fun part! Pour the wet ingredient mixture into your bowl of dry ingredients. Using a spatula, stir gently until *just* combined. You’ll still see some streaks of flour, and that’s exactly what you want! Overmixing is the enemy of tender muffins, trust me, I’ve ended up with rubbery muffins more times than I care to admit. This is where I start smelling that lovely spiced aroma!
- Fold in the Goodies:: Add your grated carrots, shredded apple, well-drained crushed pineapple, raisins, and optional nuts to the batter. Fold everything in gently until these wonderful additions are evenly distributed throughout the batter. This step can get a little messy, but it’s so satisfying to see all those vibrant colors come together. It’s truly a morning glory in the making!
- Fill Your Muffin Tins:: Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners, or grease it really well. Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups, filling each one about two-thirds full. I always overfill one or two because I just can’t resist, which sometimes leads to a bit of an overflow situation in the oven—oops! A small ice cream scoop works wonders for even distribution, honestly.
- Bake to Golden Perfection:: Pop your muffin tin into a preheated oven at 375°F (190°C) for 20-25 minutes. You’re looking for a beautiful golden-brown color, and when a wooden skewer or toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. The aroma filling your kitchen will be incredible at this point; a warm, sweet, spiced hug! Let them cool in the tin for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack.