A Girl's Gotta Bake

I've been in a baking mood lately, and a snacky mood, for that matter. Hence the muffins.

Morning Glory Muffins
adapted from Whole Foods' recipe
Yield: 8 jumbo or 16 regular-sized muffins

Ingredients:
1 1/3 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/4 cup + 2T cane sugar
1 T molasses
1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup seedless raisins
2 eggs
1/3 cup coconut oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 Granny Smith apple, cored, peeled and shredded
1/2 cup grated carrots
1/2 cup walnuts, finely chopped
wheat germ, for topping

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°F. In a large bowl, mix together flour, sugar, brown sugar, baking soda, cinnamon and salt; break up any brown sugar lumps with your fingers or a wooden spoon. Add in the raisins, coating them with the mixture so they don't sink to the bottom of the muffins during baking.

In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs, oil and vanilla, then add to flour mixture and stir just until combined. Add apples, carrots and walnuts and stir gently until well combined.

Spoon batter into paper-lined muffin tins, filling each about 2/3 full. Sprinkle with wheat germ and bake for 15-20 minutes for regular-sized or 25-30 for jumbo, until cooked through.

I first tried Morning Glory muffins last year at a farmer's market. A bunch of cyclists were lined up for them after a Saturday morning ride and so I had to find out what all the buzz was about. I can see why these babies are their fuel of choice! They're delicious and nutritious. To be honest, I hadn't thought about this recipe until a few weeks ago when we were on the road early and made a pit stop for some breakfast. Bruegger's had a Morning glory bagel on special and I had to get it, slathered with peanut butter, of course. I couldn't stop thinking about it and so I had to go home and make the muffins myself.