Skip to main content

Morning Glory Muffins

Maybe I should own two cooling racks.

I think I originally started making these muffins as a way to use up leftover flaked coconut, since I don't make a lot of coconut things and I get antsy when I notice that there's a half a bag sitting in the freezer for months with no plan. Now, when I make these, it's only 50% to use up leftover coconut, and the other 50% is because they're really good. 

I started with this recipe, which is delicious, but has too much sugar and oil for my liking. I have slowly mucked with the recipe to get it to its current healthier state. It is presently healthy enough that I enjoy eating them without guilt, but they also still taste good enough to make them for other people. I loved these at all hours of the day post-baby, so I like to make these for people who are home with new babies. If I go too much further with the healthification (taking away more sugar and adding flaxseed and bran and oats), I'm not sure they will be suited to give as gifts to other people anymore.

I actually like this version better than the original recipe. I think it was the applesauce substitution that gave it a lightness that I was craving.

The change to brown sugar was an accident, and it happened when I opened a bag of white sugar and found out that it was infested with ants. Gross. But it was a good accident, because the brown sugar in it is really good.


The Recipe: (makes about 16 muffins)
2c whole wheat flour
1 1/2 c brown sugar
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
3 eggs
1/2 c vegetable oil
1/2 c applesauce
2 tsp vanilla extract
3 c shredded carrots (I just food-process them into tiny pieces)
1 apple, also food-processed into tiny pieces
1/2 c raisins
1/2 c unsweetened flaked coconut
  • Combine wet ingredients.
  • Add dry ingredients.
  • Fold in carrots, apple, raisins, and coconut.
  • Put in muffin tins and bake at 350 for 25 minutes.

The Verdict:
Overall grade: A
Overall reason: Delicious and substantial-tasting, for a muffin
Time to prepare: 40 minutes 
Husband quote: (singing)"I like to eat, eat, eat, apple and carrot and raisin muffins... Did I get it right?" 
Me: "Yes, and there's one more ingredient."
Husband: "Onion?"
Me: "No. But it's white like onion..."
Husband: "It's thin like onion... It's crunchy like onion..."



Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Kitchen renovation!

BEFORE: AFTER: Still to come: a beautiful new induction range and some wood shelving on the left side, above the backsplash. And maybe the shelving unit on the wall facing the cabinets should be green, but we're going to live with a while before making that decision.

Adzuki Beans with Black Rice

I hope I don't turn any readers away by featuring cilantro in my first photo. My current food obsession is black rice. I was first introduced to it at  Sushi Pure . It's purple when cooked, and I was completely smitten when purple sushi arrived at our table. I mean, purple sushi! It was like my birthday or something. Actually, it might have been my birthday, because I pretty much always have sushi on my birthday, but anyway. It's kind of sweet and has this great chewy texture. When I learned  how healthy it is , my crush evolved to full-out love. Sushi Pure's Spicy Tuna Roll (photo from FoodSpotting.com) In my ongoing research for ingredients that are low in calories but high in nutrition, adzuki (also spelled azuki) beans came up. I learned that these are the sweet red beans used in Japanese desserts, including red bean ice cream, which I've been obsessed with since I was a kid. But since turning them into ice cream probably negates the health benef

Cambodian Lemongrass Stir-Fry

  I recommend going heavy on the peanuts I recently finally branched out and tried something new at  Angkor Cambodian Restaurant , and now I'll never branch out ever again because my new favorite dish is too good. They call it Cha Krung, though I've seen a lot of other spellings in my attempt to find recipes. It's a lemongrass stir-fry and they do it with green beans, carrot, onion, and jalapeno, with peanuts on top. The peanuts are amazing in this, but I also really love the way they stir-fry the jalapeno as a vegetable, by removing the seeds and veins and slicing it thin. In my version above I used what I had, which was broccoli, eggplant from the garden, thai chilies instead of the jalapeno (but I'm going to grow jalapenos next year for this purpose), and fresh basil since I found a lot of recipes calling for it. And tofu, though it sounds like chicken is most traditional. I was a bit discouraged when researching recipes because I would need to acquire fresh lemongra