The Legendary Morning Glory Muffins

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I first featured Morning Glory Muffins in the early days of my blog. The recipe was well-received and, for years, it remained one of the most popular posts on One Perfect Bite. I'm hosting a "morning coffee" for my book club this week, and I wanted to provide baked goods for my friends that aren't usually seen at these morning affairs. I love these muffins, so I decided to unearth the recipe, and give them a prominent spot on the table of my kaffeeklatsch. The muffins were created in 1978 by Pam McKinstry who served them at her restaurant, the Morning Glory, on Nantucket Island. Time passed and word of the muffins was spread by vacationers who visited the island. The recipe for the muffins was published by Gourmet Magazine in 1991, and ten years later it made it to the list of magazine's 25 favorite recipes from the past 50 years. Since then, many have tried to improve the recipe. While they may have made the muffins a bit healthier by reducing fat and using whole grain flours, the "improved" versions of the muffins do not, in my opinion, match the flavor of the original. A lot goes into these muffins, but they are very easy to prepare and they stay fresh for several days after they've been made. The most irreverent of my children has a special name for any food that can be made or ordered "with everything". As a result, you will occasionally hear references to garbage pizzas, burgers and muffins in my house. I hate it, but what can you do? These muffins escape that designation, but just barely. Adding one more thing to the ingredient list would take it over the top and it, too, would find itself on the "garbage" list. Before that happens let me give you the original recipe. As a point of reference, these muffins are more like an apple cake or pudding then a standard breakfast muffin. They are chock full of fruit, nuts and vegetables, so they stay moist and are delicious way to start the day. Here's how they're made.


Morning Glory Muffins...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Gourmet Magazine and Pam McKinstry

Ingredients:
1-1/4 cups sugar
2-1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup shredded, sweetened coconut
3/4 cup raisins, light or dark
1 large apple, peeled, cored and grated
1 cup (8 ounces) crushed pineapple, drained
2 cups grated carrots
1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans or walnuts
3 large eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions:
1) Position a rack in lower third of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Line standard muffin pans with paper liners. Spray paper liners with nonstick spray. Set aside.
2) Whisk together sugar, flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt into a large bowl. Add coconut, raisins, apple, pineapple, carrots, and nuts, and stir to combine.
3) In a separate bowl, whisk eggs with the oil and vanilla. Add to dry ingredients and mix well.
4) Spoon batter into muffin tins, filling to top of each cup. Bake for 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into middle comes out clean. Cool muffins in pan for 10 minutes, then turn onto a rack to finish cooling. Yield: 16 to 20 muffins.

Cook's Note: Flavor of muffins improve with time. They taste better a day after baking, when the flavors have married. Store them at room temperature, covered, for up to 3 days, or freeze them for up to 2 months.

                    

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