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These rustically beautiful Morning Glory Muffins are moist and super delicious. They're also loaded with fiber - and lots of great nutrition!
 Whenever I get a chance to visit a Whole Foods, I find myself wandering the aisles and checking out all the wonderful ingredients and prepared foods. I'm especially tempted when passing by the shelves laden with freshly baked muffins and the Morning Glory Muffins seem to always call my name.
They're sweet, moist and filled with wholesome ingredients including fresh carrots, shredded apples, raisins, coconut, walnuts and whole wheat flour. But they're quite pricey at Whole Foods, so a while back, I decided to do a little sleuthing and see if I could come up with a similar recipe. I found that Whole Foods actually has a recipe on their website for Morning Glory Muffins, but honestly, (don't tell anyone I said this) they look kind of flat and dry.
Upon looking a little farther, I found a delicious-looking recipe on the King Arthur website and decided to base my muffins on theirs as I know from experience that King Arthur recipes are very reliable.
A few adaptations
I adapted the recipe a bit by swapping out dried cranberries for the raisins, exchanging pecans for the walnuts and leaving the nutritious (and pretty) red skin on the apples.
And instead of adding the pecans to the batter, I used them for a "candied" topping. The topping is a simple combination of sunflower seeds, honey, salt and a few drops of oil. The topping adds a beautiful and delicious finishing touch to these wonderful muffins.
I serve these rustically beautiful Morning Glory Muffins frequently and it seems everyone always goes crazy over them. They disappear quickly and I love that they can be baked ahead and stored in the freezer. An overnight thaw or a quick stint in the microwave and they're just like fresh baked.
Keeps the hangrys away
I don't know about you but if I go too long without eating something nourishing, I can get a little hangry (a cross between hungry and angry). Because these muffins are loaded with fiber and lots of great nutrients, I find that one muffin keeps me satisfied all morning and keeps the hangrys away. I'm a happy camper when there's a stash of them in the freezer that we can enjoy for a quick, decently healthy breakfast.
Whip up a batch of these delicious, no-fail Morning Glory Muffins a soon as possible! I call it a "no fail" recipe, as every time I make them, they come out high-domed, beautifully golden, super moist and SO delicious. I think you'll agree and these muffins will go into your favorite recipe collection!
Café Tips for making these Morning Glory Muffins
- The recipe makes more than indicated on the King Arthur site. The instructions are to fill the muffin cups "almost to the top". I did fill them nice and high, but instead of 12, I was able to get 16 really nice-size muffins from the recipe.
- This recipe calls for whole wheat pastry flour. Whole wheat pastry flour is available at larger grocery stores, in bulk at Whole Foods and online.
- I've substituted white whole wheat flour for the whole wheat pastry flour with good results. White whole wheat flour has the same nutritional value as regular whole wheat flour but it's a little lighter. It's available at most larger grocery stores and online.
- Use a BIG bowl when stirring together these muffins. There are lots of ingredients!
- To make things super easy, I often purchase packaged shredded carrots for these Morning Glory Muffins.
- For the topping, I use a sprinkle of turbinado sugar. You could also use demerara sugar or raw sugar which are both similar. You'll find most of these specialty sugars at larger grocery stores in the baking aisle along with the regular sugar.
- I like to use sunflower oil when baking, but any neutral-flavored oil will work fine for these Morning Glory Muffins.
- If the muffins are getting too brown after 20 minutes, cover them lightly with foil for the remainder of the baking time.
- This recipe can be also made with zucchini and fresh pineapple. I love making these Zucchini Fresh Pineapple Morning Glory Muffins in the summer when zucchini is abundant.
Thought for the day:
The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed,
    a stronghold in times of trouble.
Those who know your name trust in you,
    for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you.
Psalm 9:9-10What we're listening to for inspiration:
If you enjoyed this recipe, please come back and leave a star rating and review! It's so helpful to other readers to hear your results, adaptations and ideas for variations.
This recipe was originally published back in 2015. There are so many new readers and this recipe is too good to be buried in the deep, dark Café archives. We've spruced it up a bit and are sharing it again for your baking pleasure!
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Morning Glory Muffins with Candied Pecan Topping
Ingredients
- For the candied pecan topping:
- Âľ cup chopped pecans
- ÂĽ cup sunflower seeds
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
- For the muffins:
- 2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
- 1 cup brown sugar, packed
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon cloves
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 cups shredded carrot
- ½ cup shredded coconut, sweetened or unsweetened
- 1 large red, crisp apple, cored and diced into small, approximate ÂĽ-inch
- ½ cup dried cranberries
- 3 large eggs
- â…” cup vegetable oil
- ÂĽ cup orange juice
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- Turbinado Sugar, for topping
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Lightly grease 16 muffin cups* or line them with papers. Line a sheet pan with foil and spray lightly with cooking spray or rub with a paper towel and a bit of oil.
- Combine pecans, sunflower seeds, honey and olive oil on the prepared sheet pan. Place pan in preheated oven and bake for 4 minutes. Stir to redistribute and bake another 2-3 minutes or until pecans are light golden brown. Remove from oven, spread apart and set aside to cool.
- In a large bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, baking soda, spices, and salt. Stir well.
- Add the carrots and coconut, apples and dried cranberries. Stir and then run your hands through the mixture, breaking up any small clumps of brown sugar, coconut or cranberries that remain.
- In a separate bowl, beat together the eggs, oil, orange juice and vanilla. Stir till smooth.
- Add egg mixture to the flour mixture, and stir until evenly moistened (mixture will be quite thick).
- Divide the batter among the cups of the prepared pans, filling almost to the top (about â…ž full).
- Divide the candied pecan mixture over the tops. Sprinkle each muffin with about ½ teaspoon of Demerara sugar.
- Bake the muffins for 25 to 28 minutes, until they're nicely domed and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven, cool for 5 minutes in the pan, then remove from pans and cool on a rack.
- Wrap any leftovers in plastic wrap or a zippered storage bag, and store at room temperature for up to 24 hours. Freeze for longer storage.
Notes
Nutrition
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Hello,
I always enjoy receiving your delicious recipes.
I’m particularly interested in making mini muffins
How would I adapt your regular muffin recipes.?
Are certain “types” best for minis.?
Looking forward to your reply.
Margot
Hi Margot, Thanks for your kind comments! Generally, you can adapt most muffin recipes to make mini muffins by reducing the baking time. A standard 12-count muffin recipe will typically yield 30–36 mini muffins. Though this recipe hasn't been tested as mini muffins, it should work well because of its higher moisture content as mini muffins can be prone to drying out. Hope this turns out well for you!
Sound amazing like all your recipes Couldn't this be baked in a loaf pan? Thank you
Hi Peggy, Yes, you can bake this recipe in a loaf pan. The details will change depending on the size of your loaf pans, but in general, fill the pans about 2/3 full, reduce the baking temperature to 350, and increase the baking time (a standard 9x5 loaf pan should likely take 45-60 minutes). Hope it turns out well!
Can I use regular all-purpose flour instead of whole wheat pastry? I also have whole wheat flour but not whole wheat pastry flour. Not sure what the difference is?? Please advise!
Hi Jody, you can use regular AP flour! Regular whole wheat will make them heavier, ww pastry flour will make them lighter.
Could I use flax eggs in place of eggs?
Hi Brenda, we haven't tested this with flax eggs, maybe another reader can chime in. If you give it a try, let us know how it goes!
I've made these before a few times, and they're great (which is why I put the 5 stars). I decided to make them again, but I don't have whole wheat flour-I only have all-purpose flour-can I use that? I don't want to have to go to the store. I'm assuming I can use it but might have to alter the amount?? Thanks in advance
Hi Brenda, you can use an equal amount of AP flour in lieu of the WW!
Could I substitute melted butter for the neutral oil in this recipe? Also, could I add a little pineapple (iwould cut out the coconut if that would make it work)? Thank you
Hi Molly, you could sub butter for the oil but the muffins won't be as moist. I love butter in baking but these muffins have so much flavor, you don't miss it. Regarding the pineapple, yes, you can add pineapple but make sure it's very well drained or the muffins will spread too much and won't have a nice high dome. You can still keep the coconut in.
Best morning glory muffin ever! I make them regularly, and sometimes adjust seeds/nuts/dried fruit to what I have on hand, and they always come out so yummy! That topping is the crowning glory yum touch…genius! Thanks so much for sharing your recipes!
Awesome! Thank you for the review, Paula!
Whoa, Chris! You might want to check and verify your metric equivalents! Your little button gizmo tells us that the required 1/4 cup of sunflower seeds should weigh about 118 grams. Well, I had poured almost all 118 grams worth of sunflower seeds onto my 99 grams (3/4 cup) of pecans before I realized something was very wrong. And so I stopped and looked it up elsewhere. An entire cup of sunflower seeds should be around 140 grams - a figure my scale agreed with - making the 1/4 cup the recipe calls for much closer to 35 grams. That's quite a difference! (I checked the rest of the ingredients, and the others seem to be in the right ballpark.)
Despite - or maybe because of - my sunflower seed confusion, these muffins instantly became my next favorite muffin I've ever had. Defying the laws of mathematics, that makes 4 all-time favorite muffins in a row from Café Sucre Farine. Thank you, Chris, for your generous genius! (Next week: Brown Sugar Banana-Clementine Muffins. The following week: Healthy Banana Bran Muffins. May the streak never end!)
Yay! So happy these turned out well, despite the sunflower issue! You're becoming "the muffin man"!
Thanks for the head-up, John! A metric conversion app is used in my recipe plugin. Sometimes it is off. I have corrected the sunflower conversion. Sorry for the confusion!
These have become my favorite muffins to make! I’m adding them as one of my signatures (signature fragrance, signature activity to take out of town guests to do when they visit, signature hostess gift, etc). I modified it slightly to add a little more protein to my diet and added 1 cup of vanilla protein powder, 1/2 cup of orange juice instead of 1/4 cup, 2 tablespoons of high protein yogurt, and 4 eggs instead of 3 to compensate for the added dry ingredient. They turned out perfect! Thank you so much for sharing! 🙂
Thanks for the review, Gia!
I have made these several times. They are delicious. I only put the pecans on top one time. I also use whole wheat soft white flour and sucanat as my sugar. I took my sister some yesterday. She loved them. I love to keep them in the freezer to have on hand. I will be taking some to a friend next week when we go to the National Quartet Convention in Pigeon Forge,TN.
Awesome! Thank you for the review, Charlotte!
Hello. I'm not really a fan of coconut. Is there something else I could use or should I just leave it out?
Hi Denise, yes you can just leave it out.
Can this be baked as a loaf instead of muffins? If so, what would the baking time be?
Hi Carla, you can do that. We haven't tested it as a loaf, so we can't advise on baking time.
Hi Chris
Where did you get the liner from? Really like them!
Thanks
Carol K
I find a lot of pretty, grease-proof cupcake liners on etsy. I don't see these exact ones but these are similar: https://www.etsy.com/listing/739131932/rugby-stripe-teal-cupcake-liners-teal
I’m wondering why they’re only good for 24 hours? Can they be kept in the fridge for longer or is freezing required?
Hi Michelle, the muffins start to dry out after 24 hours. Freezing is best if you want to store them for longer. Muffins don't do as well in the refrigerator as the cooler temperature changes the texture and they tend to actually dry out faster.
Chris, I would love to have the Morning Glory Muffins label.
Thank you! Marian Hoot
Hi Marian, I don't have a morning glory muffin label at this time.
Delicious! A little time consuming the first time but very tasty!
Thanks, Elaine!
Hello. I was out today and had to come home to let you know I have made this recipe twice so far and will be making more again tonight for a friend's birthday. Every time I have made them I had gotten such great reviews and two people so far said they are the best muffins they have ever had. Of course it does take assemble, but they are so worth it and are great to freeze.
I added orange zest in the dry ingredients and pumpkin seeds on top.
I am sure I can come up with other variations but wanted to let you know your recipes are a class act.
Thanks, Ann G
Thanks so much, Ann, for taking the time to leave a such a kind and encouraging comment. I'm really happy that you have enjoyed these muffins. I love that they're decently healthy too! 🙂
I'd like to make this tomorrow, but .... 1/2 t. "cloves"? Ground? That's a lot of cloves; very strong. Is that a typo?
Yes, it is 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves. The clove flavor is not overpowering.
I made these for my teams at work and they were a big hit. I did change a couple of things to use what I had. They were worth the effort.
Yay! So happy you enjoyed them, Ginger. They're one of our favorites and I love all the healthy ingredients!
I just made these and they're great! I used Kroger white whole wheat flour (didn't say pastry, but they turned out wonderful). I didn't have the sunflower seeds so I just used more pecans, which is never a bad thing *grin*. The rest was as is. I got 18 out of mine and they were still very domed. I may try the maple syrup for the topping like someone else mentioned-sounds good. I almost peeled my apples, I was afraid the skins would be a problem but I didn't and they weren't. It was much easier also not to have to peel. I will definitely make these again. Thanks!
Thanks for sharing your results Brenda, wish I was at your house today 🙂
Chris, these are absolutely delicious. I made them for my fellow precinct workers at the polls on Tuesday. For an added treat, we awarded our first time voters and the # 100 th voter one of these home baked goodies! They left our voting place with major grins on their faces!
Thanks so much, Joan. I want to vote in your precinct! 🙂
I love pecans! I think they are my favorite nut of all nuts. These muffins look absolutely delicious and would love to try making them. I wish we had a Whole Foods that close 🙂
Morning glory muffins happen to be one of my favorites too Chris! And that candied pecan topping sounds fabulous!! Getting these on my baking list soon!
These muffins are AMAZING. instead of oil on the topping I used maple syrup, worked very well. I doubled the spices as I prefer a kick. It made a sort of gingerbread flavor which all my neighbors and friends loved. I didn't have Orange juice so I used pineapple. I will make these over and over.
Yay! So happy you enjoyed them, Debbie! And thanks for letting us know!
hi again thanks for replying about how to blend just a tip your receipe unlike some others does not say to reduce oven temp to 350 , i did cover with foil and while the seasoning was yummy they seemed to be overcooked at in my convection oven should i bake on regular bake?
Hi Diana, I have convection (and love it!) but always use the regular baking setting because so many people don't have convection. I want my recipes to work out well for the majority of readers. When using convection, you do need to lower the temperature. And every oven is a little different, even with the regular baking setting. Because of that, whenever I use other people's recipes, I always set my timer for 5 minutes less than the called for time so I can see how things look.
The domed top on these muffins is perfect! I love all the add-ins making this a hearty, and healthy breakfast treat 🙂
These look and sound delicious ..I made bran muffins yesterday morn and they are more blan muffins:(
Wish I had yours under my dome instead!
Discovered pecans only a year ago and love them, of course, every way ! These are perfect for a working day to take with me and have my to go breakfast wit coffee ! Thank you !
These look dreamy! I've always loved a morning glory muffin and always add dried cranberries instead of raisins, too! I wish I could join you for a cup of coffee and one of these gems!
luv your reipes do you use stand mixe? diana from toronto
Hi Diana, I don't for these muffins, they're super easy to mix up with a bowl and a spoon or spatula.
I love a muffin in the morning, but I love a LOADED muffin even more, these look spectacular!
Used what I had on hand - walnuts and flaxseed for topping and canola oil for the vegetable oil. Substitutions were very good - will buy ingredients needed for next time. I made them the first time and they were a little dry - so I reduced the oven to 350 and watched them carefully when I made them today and they were better. I have been looking for a morning glory muffin recipe - I love the muffins at our Amish market. . This is very close! I am a big fan of your site. Five Star - Excellent recipe - thanks!
I have a few favorite sites that I check for recipes, yours is now one of them but what I want to comment on is that I also go on Google images and search for a recipe and start with pictures.
I can't wait to try each of your recipes, I'm disabled and because of some transportation issues right now it may not be until after the first of the year before I can try them all, each of them look delicious and I to like to make it ahead and freeze to enjoy when not up to cooking etc.Thanks for shareing the recipes if they taste half as good as they look.,they look great way better than the picture you shared from whole foods and King Arthur. We don't have a whole foods close by, I have used King Arthur flour, yours look 100 percent better than any of the 2 pictured, thanks again for sharing.Pray that you and your family have a wonderful Holiday Season. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
So glad you've enjoyed the recipes Barbara! We love these muffins, they are so filled with healthy stuff and are very easy to put together!
Once again I like your recipe! I also use the King Arthur web site and order all my baking ingredients (especially vanilla, baker's special sugar, and and their white whole wheat flour) some of my bake ware from them. You can't beat them for quality.
I've used their recipe for Morning Glory Muffins before and it works just as you report. However, I do like the ammendments you have made and will continue to make these muffins according to your recipe.
Hi Chris,
I want to make these muffins because as you said "a picture is worth a 1000 words". They look so good..
I have KA whole wheat flour, it does not say pastry flour.. Can I use this or do I need what the recipe calls for.
Thank you for your help.
Dorothy
You can use the whole wheat flour Dorothy but the muffins will be heavier. WW pastry flour is better. http://amzn.to/2h5mjRN
It was such a pleasure meeting you at my cooking station at Whole Foods. The muffins look absolutely delicious! Can't wait to follow you in Paris.
best regards,
Sherry
Perfect, healthy, and yummy breakfast 🙂
Chris,
Just made these muffins for our breakfast tomorrow and I must say 6 are already gone. They are so delicious and this recipe definitely will be a keeper. Didn't have coconut so I chopped up crystallized ginger in its place and also had to sub pepitas (pumpkin seeds) for sunflower seeds. Next time I make these I will be sure to have all the original ingredients.
Thank you for sharing your great recipes! I always look forward to baking up something new from you blog.
Morning Glory Muffins are such a classic! I'm so glad you were inspired by Whole Foods and love your twist with the candied pecans. Stunning photography here from Scott, too! 🙂 We visit our local WF store a couple times per week. But, I'm glad you selected the King Arthur Flour recipe. I cannot say enough about KAF! I enjoy ordering from them as well as using their recipe database. Thanks for sharing, Chris. Pinned!
Your muffins look irresistible! I simply love them!
These muffins look outstanding. That candied topping really sets them apart!
Forget Morning Glory - I want this as "Morning, Darling!" where someone else makes these and brings one to my bedroom along with coffee. A woman can but dream.. 🙂
These are gorgeous!
Dear Chris, the name of these beauties certainly fits them extremely well - these muffin treats of yours look absolutely glorious! Love the list of healthy ingredients and the picture perfect way you presented them in these pretty muffin liners on that even prettier cake stand!
Hope you are enjoying a wonderful Sunday, dear friend!
Andrea
These are one of my favorite muffins, too! And yours rival any bakery version! And I, too, love that these use whole wheat flour. Time to get out my apron 🙂 Happy weekend, my friend.
Wow Chris - it's hard to believe these are so healthy! The look like dessert! How wonderful they turn our with that nice top each time - that recipe is a keeper! Hope you're staying warm 🙂
Well, Whole Foods doesn't have Scott to take fabulous photos! These are right up my alley, Chris. I can't wait to try them!
Dear Chris, That is so nice that you are in walking distance to many places.
I love muffins in the morning. with a cup of coffee or tea. These look perfect. King Arthur is always there when one needs a little inspirations. I love there flour too.
Beautiful pictures Chris. xoxo Catherine
These muffins look glorious indeed, Chris! Love that candied pecan topping!
These look totally amazing! Think I will whip up a batch this morning as a test for feeding our rally car racing team in April. I'm sure the guys will love these. We have Whole Foods coming to Bellingham in a year...cannot wait, wish it was sooner! Oh, thanks to you, I went shopping for the muffin papers on Amazon... 🙂
Not only do they good pretty they are DELICIOUS. I just made these and we LOVED them. I didn't have sunflower seeds that were good. Don't think we missed them either. I used scant in place of brown sugar and put a little orange zest. Love cranberries and orange. I did use unsweetened coconut. If they had been any better we would be in more trouble. I did use freshly ground.hard white wheat. This is a keeper recipe!!! Freezing some to take our son in Charlotte,NC.
OOPS! That should have said used sucanat. Now I know why it said scant. This crazy computer changed it and I didn't realize it. It did this time and I saw it.
I'm sharing these today Chris, what could be better for a chilly weekend morning?
Love, love these muffins:)
Wow Chris....your photos are a million times more enticing than WF or KA! (Maybe they should consider paying food bloggers to submit their finished recipes!). LOVE morning glory muffins. And yours, my dear, are the most gloriest I've ever seen! : )
I live out in the sticks, and while that does have its advantages, being close to fancy grocery stores is not one of them. Sigh. Those muffins look absolutely gorgeous with that topping! I'm not a raisin person, so the substitution of cranberries is one I wholeheartedly agree with. 🙂
I'm going to try this recipe as a coffee cake or two; one topped with pecans and one topped with walnuts. Also want to try the recipe in grab and go bars for road trips and hiking. Thanks for the recipe and great blog.
Oh how I'd love to come over and enjoy some of these muffins straight from the oven! Love that candied pecan topping!
Oh they look just perfect Chris.
I should jut make a Chris folder on Pinterest.
They are a whole breakfast in a muffin! Plus a multi vitamin!. They look better than the ones at Whole Foods, which really is a great store despite the higher prices.
Yours look even better than KA! They look beyond delicious and that candied pecan topping is killing me!
You said email wouldn't be published, I saw mine was, why I didn't see any one else's?
I'm not sure what you're talking about Barbara, sorry!