This warm muffin broken open reveals tasty bits of pineapple, walnut, coconut, and apple. What a way to greet the morning!

When I stumbled onto an old recipe this week, I had to chuckle. A friend had passed it on to me after home testing numerous muffins to determine the best. Moring Glory Muffins won, hands down. Banana, Zucchini-Chocolate, Chocolate Chip, and Apple muffins were all contenders, but didn’t measure up to the fruit-filled Morning Glories.

Usually muffins can be made with items you have on hand, but these have a few more ingredients than most.

Culinary Caution

As it turned out, I had to make two trips to the grocery before I finally had all the ingredients needed. Even so, I delayed baking them a bit longer until I had retrieved my favorite muffin tin from the farm. After all that, I was nearly out of the muffin-making mood. But I soldiered on.

The outcome was worth the hassle—most of it self-inflicted. The recipe called for putting the stiff, sticky batter into 12 muffin cups. But I got 18 muffins out of mine, which was a bonus since they disappear quickly.

Morning Glory Muffins

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup sweetened, shredded coconut, toasted
• 1/2 cup walnuts, toasted
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 1/ tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 (8-ounce) can crushed pineapple
• 1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored, and shredded
• 8 Tbs. (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
• 3 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups shredded carrots (2-3 medium)
• 1 cup golden raisins

Directions:

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 12-cup muffin tin. (Recipe makes more than that; I get 18 muffins.)

Process coconut and walnuts in food processor until finely ground. Add flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt and pulse until combined. Transfer mixture to large bowl.

Place pineapple and shredded apple in fine-mesh strainer set over liquid measuring cup. Press fruit dry (juice should measure about 1 cup). Bring juice to boil in large skillet over medium-high heat and cook until reduced to ¼ cup, about 5 minutes.

Let cool slightly. Whisk melted butter, cooled juice, eggs, and vanilla until smooth. Stir wet mixture into dry mixture until combined. Stir in pineapple-apple mixture, carrots, and raisins.

 Divide batter evenly among muffin cups. Bake until toothpick inserted in center of muffin comes out clean, 24 to 28 minutes. Cool in tin for 10 minutes, then turn out onto wire rack. Serve warm. (Muffins can be stored in airtight container for 3 days.