Morning Glory Muffins

I love muffins.  They're the perfect snack for those busy weekdays or a nice addition to a cup of coffee as you're relaxing on a Sunday afternoon.  

Do you know what I also love?  Clearing out my pantry and fridge. There's nothing quite like getting your fridge and pantry back to ground zero and this recipe uses lots of little goodies that you may have hanging around in your kitchen -- a carrot or two, that last bit of sour cream in the container, a can of pineapple you've had since Betty White was a Golden Girl ...  It feels so good to use what you've got and making space in your fridge and pantry at the same time.

Morning Glory Muffins, are a one stop shop for home baked goodness. They are a moist muffin with a nice spice to them and are filled with all kinds of delicious additions (which you can add or omit according to personal tastes). Don't like coconut? Leave it out. Do you love diced apple in your muffin? Add it in!

Now that I have 18 of these muffins baked up, my weekday lunches are looking a whole lot better!

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking soda
3 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 large carrot - shredded (approximately 2 cups)
1 can crushed pineapple, drained well
1/2 cup pecans, chopped
1/2 cup raisins (see tip below)
1/4 cup sweetened, shredded coconut
3 large eggs
1/2 cup oil (I used grapeseed)
1/2 cup sour cream (or plain applesauce)
1 tbsp. vanilla

Preheat oven to 350F.  Line muffin tins with 18 muffin papers and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients together: flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and sugars.  Combine well.  Fold in carrot, pineapple, pecans, raisins and coconut.

In a medium bowl, beat eggs well.  Add oil, sour cream and vanilla.  Mix well.

Pour wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and gently mix.  This is not the time to get an arm workout! If you overmix you'll get dense muffins.

Using a large melon baller (or spoons), fill muffin papers to approximately the top of the muffin paper.

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the centre of a muffin comes out clean.  Remove to a cooling rack and cool completely.  Store in an airtight container or freeze.

Raisin Tip: Raisins are polarizing ... you either love 'em or hate 'em.  Admittedly, they can be gross if they're dried out and have lost their plumpness. To add a bit of plumpness, I put a small amount of water in a small saucepan, add my raisins and bring it to a boil. Once it's boiling I remove the pot from the heat and let them sit for a bit (usually while I'm putting together the muffins, rice pudding etc.). Then I rinse them with cool water, drain well and add them to my recipe. This technique gives dried out old raisins a new life and turns them into something you'll look forward to finding in your baked good.