This is a great recipe to help clean out the refrigerator crisper. I had some crushed pineapple and also some chunks that I sliced up into smaller bits. I had alot of apples I needed to use so used mostly apples and pineapple with the exception of a few grated carrot. I added an extra tsp. of cinnamon; didn't have nuts. After I got the batter made I felt it lacked a little something....back to the crisper. Lo and behold there was an orange that was just waiting to be rubbed against the microplane. I added the zest of the entire orange. The combination of apple pineapple carrot cinnamon and the orange zest was perfect! I could smell the cinnamon and zest while baking. I didn't overdo the coconut; added just the 3/4 cup as I have found that when I overdo it on coconut to sweet breads it tends to be crumbly. These were perfect. The recipe made 12 Texas-sized muffins and baked for 25 minutes at 375. They look like a picture with the different colors and bits. I didn't peel the apples..just grated it right in...love the faint pinkish red color it gives the muffin. I was tempted to sub applesauce for the oil but didn't...that would make it even more healthy.
Great recipe. In my effort to make them "healthier" here are my subs:In place of one of the 2 cups of flour I use 1/2 c. of whole wheat flour 1/2 c. of oat bran and 1 TBSP of wheat germ. In place of the 1/2 c. of oil I use 1/4 c. and 1/4 c. plain lowfat yogurt. In place of the 1-1/4 c. sugar I use 3/4 c of sugar and 1/4 c of honey. Other changes: use golden raisins in place of the dates. I add a dash of cloves and a couple dashes of nutmeg. Instead of grating the apples (I use Granny Greensmith) I chop them finely. Sometimes I even add a small can of drained crushed pineapple!
These are a new favorite and a great way to have veggie and fruit in the morning. I omitted dates as I didn't have any and don't like coconut. I also replaced half of the oil with applesauce and sprinkled a packet of instant apple oatmeal on the tops of the muffins before baking. This added an extra apple/sweet flavor. They went incredibly fast as we all for them as a snack throughout the day, but they only got more moist as they sat. Thanks for the recipe.
Changes: Went for half whole wheat flour half white split the oil with applesauce and threw in some shredded zucchini flax seed and soy protein for good measure. Replaced sugar with Splenda for baking. Also made 12 not 18 muffins. I used pre-shredded carrots but I think I would have been better off shredding them myself- it threw off the texture a bit. Slightly undercooked in the middle of the bigger ones but that's my fault. They are delish and I imagine they're pretty good for you with my modifications.
"These are the best muffins I've had!" was my husband's reaction to tasting these muffins. It didn't make 18 muffins though- only 12. Very moist muffin with a lot of texture. I also replaced 1/2 cup of flour with wheat flour which added a bit of flavor and I didn't use the dates.
Among the many muffins I bake, I make this recipe over and over. The muffins are moist and tasty; they freeze well. They are always a hit. Folks often ask for the recipe. The preparation is, however, labor intensive -- peeling, chopping, grating!
These were fantastic! I substituted crushed pineapple for the the apple and apricots for the dates so that I didn't have to shop for ingredients. They came out exactly as what my tastebuds were craving - moist sweet and delicious!
Great recipe - I will make these again. However they'd be TOO SWEET as written. I only added 3/4 cup sugar instead of the 1 1/4 cups and next time I will try with only 1/2 cup sugar. They were quite sweet with the 3/4 cup! I also didn't have coconut on hand so I omitted that (without replacing with anything) and they were still delish. I omitted the vanilla b/c I didn't want these to be overly cake-tasting. Finally I used olive oil instead of veg oil - works a treat! Note that the batter is SUPER THICK - I was worried at first! But they turned out beautifully.
My family LOVED these muffins! We use to buy Morning Glory Muffins years ago from a bakery that's too far out of our way now. I was thrilled to find this and two other recipes here for the muffins. I made a double batch baked some in tiny tins (about 10 minutes) and some in really big tins (about 22 minutes). Be careful to take these out at JUST the right time as a minute or two makes a big difference. I'm going to try the other recipe with wheat germ and apple butter next!
Good but to sweet. Use 3/4 cup sugar instead! Change the dates for dried cranberries...
