Healthy Morning Glory Muffins... Super easy too!
Healthy Morning Glory Muffins... super easy too!
Need a healthy, easy muffin recipe? These Morning Glory Muffins are full of fiber rich ingredients and use a cake mix! Little added fat and so yummy too... great for breakfast or snacks!
Healthy Morning Glory Muffins... super easy too!
Yield: 18 - 20 muffins
Ingredients:
One box Carrot Cake Mix (preferably Duncan Hines Decadent mix)
3 large eggs
1/2 cup raisins
1 cup hot water
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 cup crushed pineapple
1/2 cup flaked coconut
1/2 cup walnuts or pecans, chopped
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Equipment needed:
Stand up mixer or hand mixer
Liquid and Dry measuring cups
Measuring spoons
Rubber spatula
Small bowl
1/4 cup dipper or measuring cup
Muffin pans
Cupcake paper liners
Vegetable spray
One of my favorite muffins are Morning Glory muffins! Chock full of fruits and nuts, moist and yummy! I found an old recipe at my mom’s house for muffins using a cake mix... so I started experimenting to create my favorite muffin, which was lower in fat and calories too. After trying different cake mixes, carrot cake seemed to create a muffin closest to homemade... especially the Decadent Brand by Duncan Hines. This mix has dried carrots and raisins in the mix too! No grating carrots needed! Added an extra pineapple, coconut, raisins and nuts. They're under 200 calories too, with no added fat. Well enough talking... let’s bake them!
Preheat oven to 350 F.
Baking muffins are a great way to provide healthy breakfast treats or snacks for you or your family! We often eat what is quick and available. Often our choices are high calorie, full of fat and sugar. In our busy lives, time is also a factor in what we prepare. These Morning Glory Muffins can be made ahead and stored for later. Refrigerated or frozen, they last even longer. I made a batch this week and they are already gone... Some went to the neighbor’s house and my mom’s, some to yoga class and we ate the rest! Start with placing the raisins in a small bowl and adding the hot water. Allow them to set for about 5 minutes. This will plump up the raisins and prevent them from drying out during baking. If using the Decadent cake mix, place the dried carrots and raisin packet in with the extra raisins to hydrate. Next grab the bowl of your standup mixer or large mixing bowl and place the eggs in the bottom. Placing liquids in the bottom of the ingredients will help prevent the dry ingredients from sticking to the bottom and mix better... less scraping! Add the applesauce and pineapple, blend well. Continue by adding the soaked raisin/carrot mixture and dried cake ingredients. Mix on medium speed for 30 - 45 seconds. Muffins should not be over mixed, but ingredients need to be blended well.
Almost done! I usually buy nuts in larger pieces, so I chop the nuts a bit while the batter is mixing. When the batter is blended well, add the nuts and coconut... then the cinnamon and mix until just combined.
Time to pan your batter! Line at least 18 muffin wells with paper liners or grease muffin pan well. I love fun cupcake papers for the holidays or any day! I opted for spring ones in this batch, as I was tired of WINTER!! Spray each paper liner with a little vegetable oil spray to prevent the muffin from sticking to the paper. Scoop out about 1/4 cup of batter and place in each well. I use an ice cream scoop that is about 1/4 cup portion. I have used a 1/4 cup dry measuring cup too. Papers should be about 2/3 to 3/4 full to create a nice rounded muffin. Equal portioning allows even baking = all muffins are done at the same time! Bake on center rack in a 350 F preheated oven for 22 – 25 minutes or until the center of the muffin bounces back when lightly pressed. Don’t be tempted to over bake, as they will continue to bake for a bit in the pan while cooling. Remove from the pan and allow to set for about 5 minutes. Carefully remove muffins from pan and allow to cool on a rack or towel covered counter.
Pic of finished muffins & plated
Your muffins are finished!! Don’t they smell heavenly? I always share one with someone... or eat a whole one. Gotta make sure they’re good, right? Best snack ever! Place on small plates to give away or in a container to store for later... Great for Sunday Brunch too…Enjoy!!