Good Morning Glory!

No, this is not a cutesy nickname I gave to my husband :-) My MIL used to make these muffins for my husband when he was still living at home. I think she got the recipe from the local newspaper, but I'm not sure. They were good and good for you. They're chock full of fruit and would be perfect on any brunch menu. I googled the recipe and realized I had all the ingredients- so voila!- here they are in all their glory.

The Original Morning Glory Muffins

from Earthbound Farms

• 2 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
• 1 1/4 c. sugar
• 1 tbsp. ground cinnamon
• 2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 c. shredded, sweetened coconut
• 3/4 c. raisins
• 1 large apple, peeled and grated
• 8 oz. (1 cup) crushed pineapple, drained
• 2 c. grated carrots
• 1/2 c. chopped pecans or walnuts
• 3 large eggs
• 2/3 c. vegetable oil
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Place muffin liners in tin or spray indentions with non-stick spray and set aside.

Sift or whisk together the sugar, flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt into a large bowl. Add the coconut, raisins, apple, pineapple, carrots, and nuts, and stir to combine.

In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs with the oil and vanilla. Pour into the bowl with the dry ingredients and blend well.

Spoon the batter into muffin tins, filling each to the brim. Bake for 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Cool muffins in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a rack to finish cooling.

NOTE: Makes 16 muffins.

I only have one muffin tin, so I made one dozen medium sized muffins and 24 mini muffins. I baked the mini's for 15 minutes. Fill them to the very top, they do not rise much.

Of all the recipe recommendations I read on these muffins, almost every one commented they were oily, so I decreased the oil from 1 full cup to 2/3 c. This amount seemed to be just right.

These muffins are better the next day. So if you have the time, make them the night before or freeze them until you need them. They'll keep fresh for up to 2 months in the freezer.