America's Test Kitchen LogoCook's Country LogoCook's Illustrated LogoAmerica's Test Kitchen LogoCook's Country LogoCook's Illustrated Logo

Morning Glory Muffins

By America's Test Kitchen

Published on May 8, 2013

Time

1½ hours

Yield

Makes 12 muffins

Morning Glory Muffins

Ingredients

¾ cup sweetened shredded coconut, toasted½ cup walnuts, toasted2 ¼ cups (11¼ ounces/319 grams) all-purpose flour ¾ cup (5¼ ounces/149 grams) sugar 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon ½ teaspoon baking powder ¾ teaspoon salt 1 (8 ounces/227 grams) can crushed pineapple 1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored, and shredded8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly3 large eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 ½ cups shredded carrots (2-3 medium)1 cup golden raisins

Before You Begin

Don't throw away the juice from the can of pineapple; you'll need it. To toast the coconut and walnuts, place them in a dry skillet over medium heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until they're golden, about 5 minutes. Cool before grinding them. We prefer golden raisins here, but ordinary raisins will work, too.

Instructions

  1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 12-cup muffin tin. Process coconut and walnuts in food processor until finely ground. Add flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt and pulse until combined. Transfer mixture to large bowl.
  2. Place pineapple and shredded apple in fine-mesh strainer set over liquid measuring cup. Press fruit dry (juice should measure about 1 cup). Bring juice to boil in large skillet over medium-high heat and cook until reduced to ¼ cup, about 5 minutes. Let cool slightly. Whisk melted butter, cooled juice, eggs, and vanilla until smooth. Stir wet mixture into dry mixture until combined. Stir in pineapple-apple mixture, carrots, and raisins.
  3. Divide batter evenly among muffin cups. Bake until toothpick inserted in center of muffin comes out clean, 24 to 28 minutes. Cool in tin for 10 minutes, then turn out onto wire rack. Serve warm. (Muffins can be stored in airtight container for 3 days.)

Morning Glory Muffins

Headshot of America's Test Kitchen
By America's Test Kitchen
Save

Time

1½ hours

Yield

Makes 12 muffins

Ingredients

¾ cup sweetened shredded coconut, toasted
½ cup walnuts, toasted
2 ¼ cups (11¼ ounces/319 grams) all-purpose flour
¾ cup (5¼ ounces/149 grams) sugar
1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon baking powder
¾ teaspoon salt
1 (8 ounces/227 grams) can crushed pineapple
1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored, and shredded
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 ½ cups shredded carrots (2-3 medium)
1 cup golden raisins

Test Kitchen Techniques

Ingredients

¾ cup sweetened shredded coconut, toasted
½ cup walnuts, toasted
2 ¼ cups (11¼ ounces/319 grams) all-purpose flour
¾ cup (5¼ ounces/149 grams) sugar
1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon baking powder
¾ teaspoon salt
1 (8 ounces/227 grams) can crushed pineapple
1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored, and shredded
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 ½ cups shredded carrots (2-3 medium)
1 cup golden raisins

Test Kitchen Techniques

Ingredients

¾ cup sweetened shredded coconut, toasted
½ cup walnuts, toasted
2 ¼ cups (11¼ ounces/319 grams) all-purpose flour
¾ cup (5¼ ounces/149 grams) sugar
1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon baking powder
¾ teaspoon salt
1 (8 ounces/227 grams) can crushed pineapple
1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored, and shredded
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 ½ cups shredded carrots (2-3 medium)
1 cup golden raisins

Test Kitchen Techniques

Why This Recipe Works

All of the versions of Morning Glory Muffins we tasted were greasy and full of fat. We cut the amount of fat in the original recipe by half, which fixed the problem. We also switched from oil to butter, which vastly improved the flavor. The apple and pineapple added tons of moisture to the muffins, which made them gummy and wet. We strained the fruits and pressed out the juice to take care of the problem.

Without the fruit juice, our muffins lacked their trademark fruity flavor. We reduced some of the extruded juice on the stovetop and added the syrupy liquid back into the batter to insert flavor without introducing too much moisture.

Before You Begin

Don't throw away the juice from the can of pineapple; you'll need it. To toast the coconut and walnuts, place them in a dry skillet over medium heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until they're golden, about 5 minutes. Cool before grinding them. We prefer golden raisins here, but ordinary raisins will work, too.

Instructions

  1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 12-cup muffin tin. Process coconut and walnuts in food processor until finely ground. Add flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt and pulse until combined. Transfer mixture to large bowl.
  2. Place pineapple and shredded apple in fine-mesh strainer set over liquid measuring cup. Press fruit dry (juice should measure about 1 cup). Bring juice to boil in large skillet over medium-high heat and cook until reduced to ¼ cup, about 5 minutes. Let cool slightly. Whisk melted butter, cooled juice, eggs, and vanilla until smooth. Stir wet mixture into dry mixture until combined. Stir in pineapple-apple mixture, carrots, and raisins.
  3. Divide batter evenly among muffin cups. Bake until toothpick inserted in center of muffin comes out clean, 24 to 28 minutes. Cool in tin for 10 minutes, then turn out onto wire rack. Serve warm. (Muffins can be stored in airtight container for 3 days.)

Gift This Recipe

Enjoyed this dish? Let others know by sharing it as a gift recipe.

This is a members' feature.