Carrot & Beet Morning Glory Muffins with Honey & Hazelnuts
I’ve always loved a hearty Morning Glory Muffin. My mom used to make them often when I was younger and we would freeze batches at a time so we could have quick, easy and nourishing breakfasts on the go. I recently learned a little history on the mighty Morning Glory Muffin. I’m happy to report that the original recipe comes from my husband’s home state of Massachusetts. Morning Glory Muffins are attributed to Chef Pam McKinstry of the Morning Glory Cafe which was open on the island of Nantucket from 1978 to 1994. This was apparently one of the cafe’s most popular muffins. These muffins are often considered “kitchen sink” muffins meaning that you can pretty much throw in any shredded vegetable, nut, seed or dried fruit that you have on hand. I decided to make these muffins entirely local using flour milled from southern Oregon along with Tumbleweed Farm veggies, local honey, Oregon hazelnuts, apple sauce I canned from last year, and local dried cherries. Since these are “kitchen sink” muffins feel free to swap out any local fruit and veggies you can get your hands on. I made this version with our CSA members in mind because this week they are getting another giant bundle of beets and carrots in their veggie boxes. Both of these veggies make these muffins incredibly tasty and nourishing and I highly recommend trying this version if you can find beets and carrots at your neighborhood farmers market or grocery store. I hope you all enjoy these muffins as much as we do! Happy baking everyone.
Cheers from Tumbleweed Farm
Beet and Carrot Morning Glory Muffins with Honey & Hazelnuts
Prep Time: 15 minutes Cook Time: 18-22 Serves: 12 muffins
- 1/2 cup hazelnut oil (can sub with grapeseed oil, walnut oil, light olive oil or melted coconut oil)
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup grated carrots, plus extra for topping (optional but pretty)
- 1/2 cup grated beets, plus extra for topping (optional but pretty)
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 1/2 cup all purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 cup dried cherries (or whatever dried fruit you've got)
- 1/2 cup chopped hazelnuts
- sprinkle of pumpkin seeds for topping (optional)
Preparation
- Preheat the oven to 400F. Grease a standard 12 cup muffin tin with oil and set aside.
- In a medium sized bowl whisk together the oil, honey, apple sauce, eggs, and vanilla. Add the grated carrots and beets and set aside.
- In a large bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until evenly incorporated. Gently fold in the cherries and hazelnuts. Pour the batter into the prepared muffin tin. Sprinkle the top with pumpkin seeds and extra shredded carrots and beets if using. Bake in the oven for 18-22 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the center of a muffin.
- Serve warm with a pat of butter and drizzle of extra honey.
Notes
Cooking times will vary from kitchen to kitchen. Store in an airtight container on the counter for 3 days or freeze for up to 6 months.
Yum. A delicious muffin recipe. I used yogurt instead of applesauce and they turned out so good.
love it! And great swap with the yogurt. I’ll try that next time if I’m out of applesauce!
Would pecans or walnuts work equally well? I don’t care for hazelnuts.
absolutely!
These are wonderful! The best part is, my kids LOVE them! A healthy alternative to traditional muffins! We made a batch to eat now, and 2 more batches to freeze for later! A good way to use some of the beets we just harvested as well! Thanks for the great recipe!
So happy you loved them!
I liked these a lot! Perfect to use up the old beets I had hanging around. Only request is that next time you make it and add weights. The batter seemed much too wet but I know how much volume measurements can vary. I added 20g more flour and they came together well. Thank you!
These sound great. Going to make them this week. Just wondering if you peeled the beets? Thanks!
They are delicious!! I used all the same ratios pretty much. Used more beetroot than carrot and didn’t use any dry nuts etc. It came out so well and yummy. My husband says I don’t need to freeze any, it will be gone very soon. . My toddler enjoyed it too. Loved the recipe!!!
so happy to hear!
Making it a 5 th time! Whoever tasted .. They loved it! This is a delicious muffin recipe. A lot of times, I only used beets and they were yummy!
Store any leftovers in the fridge or freeze after cooling to room temp. Mine molded after 2-3 days on the counter in the summer heat. (So sad.)
sorry that happened to you. The note does indicate to refrigerate after 3 days. Sounds like your kitchen was a bit too warm….
Sorry are the beets added raw or cooked ?
Sorry are the beets added raw or cooked ? Please advise
They’re added raw!
This is such a great recipe! I have been making carrot, beet, kale and apple juices so I had enough carrot and beet to double the recipe. I turned it into a bread instead of miffins. It came out fantastic. Thank you for your recipe.