Wholesome Cinnamon Breakfast Muffins
A variant of the popular Morning Glory muffins, it’s healthy enough for breakfast, but just sweet enough for morning tea! It has good texture, nice taste and not too heavy.” Servings: 12 standard muffins.
Ingredients
Add ins, prepared ahead (see Note 1 below for alternatives):
3/4 cup walnuts (or other nuts)
2 cups (lightly packed) shredded carrot (2-3 carrots – use a box grater, I don’t peel)
1.25 cups (lightly packed) shredded Granny Smith apple, including juices (1 apple, keep skin on)
1/2 cup desiccated coconut (finely shredded, unsweetened)
3/4 cup raisins (or sultanas, apricots or other dried fruit)
Dry ingredients:
2 cups wholemeal or plain flour
1 .75 tsp bicarb (Note 2)
2 tsp cinnamon powder
1 tsp ground ginger, opt or all-spice
1/2 tsp cooking or kosher salt
Wet ingredients:
3/4 cup brown sugar (tightly packed cup)
3 large eggs, at room temperature (~50g/2 oz each)
2/3 cup olive oil (not extra virgin), or canola oil, liquid coconut oil (Note 4)
1/4 cup orange juice (sub any fruit juice or milk, Note 5)
standard muffin tin or cases, 2 bowls (3 if using egg whites)
INSTRUCTIONS:
Abbreviated recipe:
Toast walnuts 190°C/375°F (170°C fan) 8 minutes. Cool, roughly chop. Whisk dry, whisk wet in separate bowl. Add wet into dry with add-ins, mix, fill oil-sprayed muffin tin. Bake 25 minutes.
FULL RECIPE:
1. Preheat the oven to 190°C/375°F (170°C fan-forced).
Toast walnuts – Put the walnuts on a tray and toast for 8 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes on the tray then roughly chop into 5mm / 0.2″ pieces.
Spray a 12 hole standard muffin tin with oil, or line with muffin cases.
2. Batter – Whisk the drys in a large bowl. In a separate bowl whisk the wets until combined .
Pour the wets & all the add-ins into the Dry Ingredients bowl. Mix with a wooden spoon just until you can no longer see flour, then stop mixing (over-mixed batter = tough muffs!).
3. Divide the mixture between the holes – they will mound above the rim! A lever ice cream scoop is super useful here. And don’t worry, they won’t overflow, they rise and dome.
4. Bake for 25 mins or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Cool for 5 mins in the tin, then transfer onto a cooling rack & cool at least another 5 mins before eating – as they are fragile and can continue cooking.
NOTES:
1. Add-in alternatives:
Nuts and fruit – use what you want! Almonds, macadamias, cashews, pecans, sultanas, apricots, mango, apple, or dried fruit mix. Chop large piece fruits. Use only nuts or only fruit, or nut free options like pepitas and sunflower seeds. Don’t subs dried fruit for fresh in this recipe -too moist.
Apple – Red apple is also fine, it’s just a little sweeter. Keep skin on for free nutrition.
Coconut – Can be omitted, add an extra 1 tablespoon flour.
Carrot – Recommend sticking with carrot for the vegetable so the batter and flavour isn’t altered too much. eg zucchini too watery, parsnip weird flavour, pumpkin & sweet potato too mushy.
2. Bicarb Subs – Can I substitute a bit with whipped egg whites?
3. Oil – Any neutral flavoured oil is fine here. Butter & non-liquid coconut oil (ie the type you have to melt) will work but the muffins are a bit less moist inside, and coconut oil will make them taste more coconut-y unless you use a virgin one (same with liquid coconut oils).
4. Orange juice isn’t critical, the batter just needed a touch of extra liquid and I chose this to be on-theme. Just any fruit juice you have, or substitute with milk.
Storage – 5 days in the fridge or in a cool pantry, but always eat at room temp or slightly warmed! Actually 5 days in an airtight container in the fridge or cool, dry place, or 3 months in the freezer. It has a great moist, soft crumb so the shelf life is excellent.
Nutrition per muffin – hoping the potassium outweighs the sodium!
Calories: 358cal | Carbohydrates: 41g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 0.004g | Cholesterol: 41mg | Sodium: 296mg | Potassium: 326mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 16g | Vitamin A: 3644IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 47mg | Iron: 2mg
