Thursday, March 29, 2012

Morning Glory Muffins {Try New Adventures Thursday!}

These produce-filled muffins are a new favorite at our house. I love having baked goods for breakfast, but am trying to move away from the refined flour and sugar that typically define American breads and muffins. So, I recently took a recipe for Morning Glory Muffins and "healthified" it a bit. The result was delicious! And this is coming from a girl who doesn't like it when foods "taste healthy" (i.e. cardboard-ish, too grainy, too dry, not sweet enough, etc.).

Morning Glory Muffins

The only downfall to these muffins is the fact that they still contain white sugar. But I'm satisfied with serving them as a snack or dessert (my toddler loves all things muffin)...or even for breakfast.

When it comes to making baking recipes more healthy, I have a new best friend. White Whole Wheat Flour. Have you tried baking with this sort of whole wheat flour before? White whole wheat flour is lighter in texture and taste than typical whole wheat flour (which is made from red wheat berries), but it has the same nutritional benefits. I am loving this flour! It is causing me to increase my whole wheat to all purpose flour ratio in many of my recipes...and even to give up the all purpose flour all together!

In my local grocery stores, I've found that King Arthur and Gold Medal carry this kind of whole wheat flour. Keep an eye out for it and try it next time you buy flour! I'd love to hear what you think...

Morning Glory Muffins Ingredients

Without further ado, here is the muffin recipe...
Morning Glory Muffins

Ingredients

  • 2 cups white whole wheat flour
  • 1 cup white sugar
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 cups shredded carrots
  • 1/2 cup raisins
  • 1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
  • 1/2 cup flaked coconut
  • 1 apple - peeled, cored and shredded
  • 3 eggs
  • 3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
  • 1/4 cup coconut oil (or vegetable oil)
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions

Grease 12-18 muffin cups (or line with paper muffin liners).

In a large bowl, mix together dry ingredients--flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Then stir in the carrot, raisins, nuts, coconut, and apple.

In a different bowl, beat the eggs, applesauce, oil, and vanilla together. Add the egg mixture into the flour/carrot mixture. Stir until just moistened.

Fill muffin tins ¾ full.

Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 17-20 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

Enjoy! These muffins freeze well.

 **Printable Recipe**
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12 comments:

  1. The muffins sound divine. I love me a good muffin. :)

    I almost always only use white whole wheat flour. Jonathan isn't a big fan of all whole wheat, so we've found the white whole wheat to be a good compromise.

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  2. I started using white whole wheat flour about a year ago and we all love it. It is so much more filling that white flour too.

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  3. These muffins look good. I wonder if you could substitute agave nectar for the white sugar? I'll have to look for the white whole wheat flour and give it a try.

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  4. I love these muffins. Any easy way to bake without white sugar is using honey instead. Research it a bit first before you do..

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  5. I switched from "white" flour to white whole wheat a year or two ago for almost everything. Now I pretty much grind all of my own flour (using white berries, so it's still white whole wheat). The only thing I have found that I really do NOT like with wheat flour (white or red) is pie crusts :) Somehow a whole wheat pie crust just ... well, just doesn't do it for me! So there's a few things I still keep some refined, nutrient-empty, bland-tasting white flour around for. But on the flip side, so many things if we eat them made with white flour now, DH and I both think they taste bland and blah. We love the whole wheat taste!

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    Replies
    1. That's really cool! And good to know about pie crusts...I'm sure I would share your opinion.

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  6. We use a mix of white and wheat and or white whole wheat which I just discovered recently too. I don't mind the tast of ww but Chris doesn't enjoy it, so the white whole wheat is good. I can't wait to try these muffins, they look amazing!

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  7. They look yummy! I don't know where I've been - I haven't seen white whole wheat yet! I will be looking for it on my next trip to the store! I have substituted 1/2 of the white sugar in recipes before with brown sugar or agave and it's worked well.

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    1. I have yet to try agave, but would like to!
      Unfortunately, brown sugar is not healthier than white sugar. It's basically white sugar colored with molasses. Gives a different taste, but it isn't healthier!

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  8. These muffins look and sound amazing! I love White Whole Wheat flour!!! Can't wait to try these muffies

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  9. Just tried these muffins today and they were wonderful! The kids (ages 1,2,5,9)liked them and asked for seconds. Even my husband, who doesn't like "healthy tasting" stuff, said they were make again good.
    Thanks for the recipe!

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