Category: Baking

Rhubarb Bread

This rhubarb bread recipe is the best! Tender and fluffy, it’s flecked with sweet tart rhubarb and sprinkled with a…

A Couple Cooks – Recipes worth repeating.

This rhubarb bread recipe is the best! Tender and fluffy, it’s flecked with sweet tart rhubarb and sprinkled with a crunchy streusel topping.

Rhubarb bread

When the season rolls around, it’s all we can do to hold ourselves back from making all the rhubarb recipes: pies, muffins, and more. This year, we’ve added a new standard: this irresistible Rhubarb Streusel Bread! It’s light and fluffy, made with buttermilk to make an impossibly tender crumb. It’s flecked with just the right amount of sweet tart rhubarb, then sprinkled with a crunchy streusel topping. It’s totally dreamy, perfect for serving to guests or as a present for friends or neighbors. Summer baking just got better!

Ingredients for rhubarb bread

This rhubarb bread recipe has the best texture, due mainly to the secret ingredient: buttermilk! It makes for an exceptionally fluffy and light bread. Other than that and the rhubarb, the remaining ingredients are the traditional cast of baking characters. Here’s what you’ll need:

  • Rhubarb
  • All-purpose flour
  • Granulated sugar
  • Baking powder, baking soda, and salt
  • Buttermilk
  • Butter
  • Neutral oil
  • Eggs
  • Vanilla
  • Cinnamon
Rhubarb bread

Secrets to a light and fluffy bread

Quick breads can be notoriously dense, dry or filled with air pockets. This rhubarb bread is anything but! There are two tricks to the velvety soft texture:

  • Use real buttermilk. Buttermilk is absolutely crucial to making a fluffy quick bread with a tender crumb. Don’t be tempted to use even a buttermilk substitute here! It’s got to be the real thing.
  • Use both butter and oil. Butter and oil work uniquely in baked goods. Typically we use oil in our quick bread recipes, but we love the richness in flavor and texture that butter adds here.

Optional adder: orange zest

Rhubarb and orange are a classic combination, and here’s why: the zesty orange perfectly accentuates the sweet and sour flavor of the rhubarb. It’s a great way to step up this bread from delightful to gourmet! Simply add ¼ teaspoon orange zest into the streusel topping. This simple addition makes a big impact!

Rhubarb bread recipe

Rhubarb bread storage info

How to store it? This rhubarb bread tastes best the day it’s baked. However, it does hold up pretty well over time! Here’s what to know:

  • Refrigerator: This bread stores well in the refrigerator for up to 1 week! This is what we recommend due to the streusel topping. Let the slices stand at room temperature for a few minutes before eating: it’s not quite as tasty cold (we think).
  • Freeze: Freeze in a sealable container and store up to 3 months.
Rhubarb bread

More rhubarb recipes

Rhubarb season is our favorite! Here are a few more rhubarb recipes you might enjoy:

Print
Rhubarb bread

Rhubarb Bread

★★★★★

5 from 1 reviews
  • Author: Sonja Overhiser
  • Prep Time: 30 minutes
  • Cook Time: 1 hour
  • Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
  • Yield: 12 slices
Print Recipe

Ingredients

For the bread

  • 2 cups rhubarb, finely diced
  • 2 cups [280 g] all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon baking soda
  • ¾ teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • ¾ cup buttermilk
  • 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
  • ⅓ cup neutral oil
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the streusel topping

  • ¼ cup granulated sugar
  • ¼ cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • Optional: ¼ teaspoon orange zest

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. 
  2. Chop the rhubarb and set it aside. Grease a 9 x 5-inch aluminum loaf pan with butter.
  3. In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Make a well in the center.
  4. In a medium bowl, whisk the granulated sugar, buttermilk, melted butter, neutral oil, eggs, and vanilla extract.
  5. Make the streusel: In a small bowl, mix the sugar and all-purpose flour. Cut the butter into small pieces, then use your fingers to rub it into the dry ingredients until well distributed and crumbles form.
  6. Pour the wet ingredients from the batter (Step 4) into the well in the dry ingredients. Mix gently until just combined and there are no longer streaks of flour.
  7. Add 1 2/3 cups of the diced rhubarb and fold it in with a spatula, taking care not to overwork the batter.
  8. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle the top with ⅓ cup of the chopped rhubarb, then sprinkle evenly with the streusel.
  9. Bake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few crumbs, rotating the pan halfway through baking, about 55 to 65 minutes. Allow to cool in the pan for 30 minutes. 
  10. Run a knife around the edge and invert the loaf onto a cooling rack. Allow to cool fully to room temperature (about 1 hour) before slicing into pieces. This bread is best the day it’s made, but you can store refrigerated for up to 10 days: make sure to bring to room temperature before enjoying. Alternatively, store frozen for up to 3 months.
  • Category: Baking
  • Method: Baked
  • Cuisine: Baked
  • Diet: Vegetarian

Keywords: Rhubarb bread, rhubarb bread recipe, rhubarb bread recipes

A Couple Cooks - Recipes worth repeating.

Classic Rhubarb Pie

Make this classic rhubarb pie recipe for the taste of summer! It’s sweet tart with a flaky crust and buttery…

A Couple Cooks – Recipes worth repeating.

Make this classic rhubarb pie recipe for the taste of summer! It’s sweet tart with a flaky crust and buttery crumble topping.

Rhubarb Pie

Nothing says summer more than rhubarb pie! This recipe is our new family favorite: the filing is intensely pink and sweet tart, encased in a golden pastry crust and sprinkled with a buttery crumble topping. It’s like a rhubarb crisp and pie, all in one! Watching the sun set with a slice of this pie topped with melty vanilla ice cream will make all your summer dreams complete. Here’s everything you need to transform those green-pink stalks into a dazzling dessert!

Ingredients in this rhubarb pie recipe

If there’s one type of produce that we go mad for in spring and summer, it’s rhubarb. It’s extremely nostalgic for both of us: we grew up eating Grandma’s rhubarb crisp and rhubarb bars. But neither of us had a family pie recipe: until now! Rhubarb pie can be a little tricky, but we have a few tips to make this a no fail recipe. Here’s what you’ll need:

  • 1 Homemade Pie Crust
  • Rhubarb
  • Granulated sugar
  • Cornstarch
  • Vanilla extract
  • Orange zest
  • All-purpose flour
  • Brown sugar
  • Cinnamon
  • Salt
  • Salted butter
Rhubarb pie

The secret to no-fail rhubarb pie

Here’s the thing about fruit pies: the liquid content can vary based on the ripeness of the fruit. Your rhubarb pie might turn out perfectly one day, but the next time you make it it might be too runny. In our recipe testing for this rhubarb pie, we found it’s easy to get a really runny filling! Here’s how to make rhubarb pie not runny and perfectly set:

  • Allow the rhubarb to macerate for 30 minutes. Stir it together with sugar and let it sit at room temperature. This draws out the fruit juices.
  • Pre-cook the filling with cornstarch for 5 to 6 minutes. Cooking the filling on its own gives it time to interact with the cornstarch, making a thick and gooey filling. Don’t cook it too long, or the rhubarb will become mushy: just enough so the juices form into a thick sauce.

That’s it! Pour this filling into the crust and the rhubarb pie comes out perfectly set, every time!

For the crust

The pie crust for this rhubarb pie recipe is our Homemade Pie Crust recipe, which comes out flaky and buttery. Make sure to allow for about 15 minutes for making a homemade pie crust, 15 minutes to chill, and then about 10 minutes to roll it out and place it in the pie plate.

Make sure to use a standard pie plate for this recipe: not deep dish! Instructions for rolling it out are in the linked crust recipe. You can also substitute any pie crust recipe or store-bought pie crust if you prefer!

Strawberry rhubarb
Want to make it strawberry rhubarb? Sub in sliced strawberries for half of the rhubarb!

Rhubarb pie flavor notes

This rhubarb pie recipe is our favorite for a few reasons:

  • Orange zest brings out the sweet tart flavor. You can leave it out, but we’ve found it adds a nice complexity to the filling.
  • The crumble topping seals the deal. The buttery crumble topping is crunchy and adds another pop of sweetness: it’s like eating rhubarb crisp and pie together!
  • The cornstarch helps to make a thick filling. It’s a hefty amount of cornstarch, but you need it here to compensate for the water in the rhubarb. You can use arrowroot powder as a 1:1 substitute for cornstarch.

And that’s it! We hope you’ll enjoy this rhubarb pie recipe for all your summer occasions: like Mother’s Day, 4th of July, and more! Let us know what you think.

Rhubarb pie

More rhubarb recipes

Got more rhubarb? Here are a few more rhubarb recipes we love:

This rhubarb pie recipe is…

Vegetarian.

Print
Rhubarb Pie

Classic Rhubarb Pie

  • Author: Sonja Overhiser
  • Prep Time: 1 hour
  • Cook Time: 1 hour
  • Total Time: 2 hours
  • Yield: 1 pie (8 large or 12 small slices)
Print Recipe

Description

Make this classic rhubarb pie recipe for the taste of summer! It’s sweet tart with a flaky crust and buttery crumble topping.

Ingredients

  • 1 Homemade Pie Crust (or your favorite recipe)
  • 6 cups diced rhubarb (about 2 pounds)
  • 1 ¼ cups granulated sugar
  • ¼ cup cornstarch
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • ¼ teaspoon orange zest (or ½ teaspoon lemon zest)
  • ½ cup all-purpose flour
  • ¼ cup light brown sugar, packed
  • ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 pinch kosher salt
  • 4 tablespoons salted butter, melted

Instructions

  1. In a large skillet, mix the chopped rhubarb with sugar and place it on the counter. Allow it to sit and macerate at room temperature for 30 minutes while making the pie crust (this extracts the juices of the rhubarb; do not skip this step!). 
  2. Make the pie crust. Refrigerate while you make the topping.
  3. Preheat the oven to 400°F. 
  4. Place the skillet on a burner on the stove. Stir in the cornstarch, orange zest, and vanilla extract. Add medium high heat and cook about 5 to 6 minutes, until the sauce becomes very thick (but not longer, since the rhubarb will cook in the oven). 
  5. Make the crumble topping: In a medium bowl, add the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and kosher salt. Mix together with a fork. Pour in the melted butter while mixing with the fork until a crumbly mixture forms. 
  6. Roll out the pie dough, transfer it to a standard 9-inch pie pan, and crimp the edges (following these instructions). Pour in the rhubarb filling. Use your fingers to sprinkle the crumbles evenly over the filling.
  7. Place the pie on a large baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes.
  8. Keep the pie in the oven and turn the oven temperature down to 350°F. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes until the crust and crumble topping are golden. (Check on the pie around 20 minutes and cover with aluminum foil if the crust is getting too brown.)
  9. Remove from the oven. Allow the pie to cool for 3 hours at room temperature before serving.
  • Category: Dessert
  • Method: Baked
  • Cuisine: Dessert
  • Diet: Vegetarian

Keywords: Rhubarb pie, rhubarb pie recipe

A Couple Cooks - Recipes worth repeating.

Easy Chocolate Muffins

This chocolate muffins recipe comes out rich, moist and ultra chocolaty! They’re simple to bake and impress anyone. Not sure…

A Couple Cooks – Recipes worth repeating.

This chocolate muffins recipe comes out rich, moist and ultra chocolaty! They’re simple to bake and impress anyone.

Chocolate muffins

Not sure about you, but we’re suckers for a good chocolate muffin. We’ve been searching for the recipe that’s just right, and finally we found it. Try this Chocolate Muffins recipe: it comes out moist, rich and super chocolaty! It’s simple to put together and we promise: it will impress everyone. We make these often for friends and family and they’re always a hit!

Ingredients in this chocolate muffins recipe

We’ll admit: a chocolate muffin is really just a glorified chocolate cupcake. In fact, muffins and cupcakes share a lot of the same ingredients. So we suggest saving chocolate muffins for snacks instead of breakfast: if you can! The rich, moist interior is studded with just the right amount of chocolate chips. There are a few flavor secrets that we think are essential for a good chocolate muffin. Here are the ingredients you’ll need:

  • All-purpose flour
  • Unsweetened cocoa powder
  • Dutch process cocoa powder (required for the best flavor!)
  • Baking soda
  • Espresso powder (optional)
  • Kosher salt
  • Milk
  • Apple cider vinegar
  • Brown and granulated sugar
  • Neutral oil
  • Vanilla extract
  • Chocolate chips
Chocolate muffins recipe

Dutch process vs standard cocoa powder

This chocolate muffins recipe has just a few flavor secrets, and one is using both regular and Dutch process (dark) cocoa powder. You really do need this special type for the right flavor! It is treated with an alkali to make it pH neutral, which gives it a darker color and milder flavor. This makes the flavor ultra chocolaty!

Chocolate muffin recipe

Using espresso powder in desserts

Espresso or instant coffee powder is another flavor trick here! Using powdered coffee is a well-known trick to enhance the chocolate flavor in baked goods. However, this is totally optional and not integral to the flavor of these chocolate muffins! If you’d like, you can use a caffeine free alternative, like a decaf espresso powder.

Variation: make it dairy-free or vegan

This chocolate muffin recipe is easily adaptable to be dairy-free or vegan. Most muffin recipes have eggs and sometimes sour cream or yogurt, but these muffins don’t need either. Here’s how to make this recipe dairy-free:

  • Use oat milk or your favorite dairy-free milk (we like oat milk best for baking)
  • Use dark chocolate chips: all brands vary, but many are vegan. Check the ingredient list to make sure they don’t contain milkfat.
Chocolate muffin

Chocolate muffins storage info

How to store chocolate muffins? Room temperature is best, since they taste even moister and most delicious throughout the storage time. However, they shouldn’t be stored more than 2 days at room temperature. You can prolong storage in a refrigerator or freezer:

  • Room temperature: Store at room temperature for 1 to 2 days in a sealed container. This keeps in the moisture and the muffins are even softer after storage.
  • Refrigerator: These muffins store well in the refrigerator for up to 1 week! Let them stand at room temperature for a few minutes before eating. You can store them at room temp for a few days and then move to refrigerator storage.
  • Freeze: Freeze in a sealable container and store up to 3 months.
Chocolate muffins

More muffin recipes

Love to bake? Here are a few more muffin recipes you might enjoy:

Print
Chocolate muffins recipe

Easy Chocolate Muffins

  • Author: Sonja Overhiser
  • Prep Time: 25 minutes
  • Cook Time: 20 minutes
  • Total Time: 45 minutes
  • Yield: 12
Print Recipe

Description

This chocolate muffins recipe comes out rich, moist and ultra chocolaty! They’re simple to bake and impress anyone.

Ingredients

  • 2 cups [280 g] all-purpose flour
  • ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 2 tablespoons Dutch process cocoa powder
  • 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon espresso powder (optional)
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 ¼ cups milk (or non-dairy milk)
  • 1 ½ tablespoons apple cider vinegar
  • ½ cup brown sugar
  • 2/3 cup granulated sugar
  • ½ cup neutral oil (grapeseed, canola or vegetable)
  • 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 cup 55% or semi sweet chocolate chips, plus more for topping

Instructions

  1. Preheat: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray a standard 12-cup muffin tin with cooking spray or add muffin cup papers.
  2. Make the batter: In a large bowl, whisk the all-purpose flour, cocoa powder, Dutch process cocoa powder, baking soda, espresso powder, and salt.
  3. In a separate medium bowl, whisk milk and vinegar until frothy. Whisk in the brown sugar, granulated sugar, oil, and vanilla extract. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients with a spatula until a thick dough forms. Fold the chocolate chips into the batter.
  4. Scoop the batter evenly into the muffin cups: the cups will be full to the top, using about a heaping ¼ cup per muffin. Sprinkle another handful chocolate chips onto the tops of the muffins.
  5. Bake: Bake the muffins for 20 to 23 minutes, until puffed and a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes in the pan, then transfer to a rack to cool fully, about 1 hour. Eat immediately or they taste even better the next day after storage in a sealed container at room temperature. Store 1 to 2 days in a sealed container at room temperature, then transfer to refrigerator and refrigerate up to 5 days (allow to come to room temperature before serving). You can also freeze the muffins for up to 3 months.
  • Category: Muffin
  • Method: Baked
  • Cuisine: Muffin
  • Diet: Vegetarian

Keywords: Chocolate muffins, chocolate muffin recipe, chocolate muffin

A Couple Cooks - Recipes worth repeating.

Rhubarb Crisp

Step aside, strawberry rhubarb pie! This rhubarb crisp recipe is my favorite spring dessert. I love it because it’s so easy (HUGE bonus points for not requiring pie crust), but it’s still completely delicious. A layer of fresh rhubarb bakes…


Step aside, strawberry rhubarb pie! This rhubarb crisp recipe is my favorite spring dessert. I love it because it’s so easy (HUGE bonus points for not requiring pie crust), but it’s still completely delicious. A layer of fresh rhubarb bakes to jammy, sweet-tart perfection, and a brown sugar and oat crumble crisps up beautifully on top. I’m personally incapable of eating it without a scoop of vanilla ice cream, but hey, you do you. I’ve been making this rhubarb crisp recipe for years now. In fact, I first planned to share it two years ago, right around the time our son […]

Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

Let’s make lemon poppy seed muffins! After a very busy week (oh hey, we launched Simple Feel Good Food!), an easy baking project like this sounds like the perfect way to decompress. Inhaling the bright scent of lemon zest, swirling poppy seeds in…


Let’s make lemon poppy seed muffins! After a very busy week (oh hey, we launched Simple Feel Good Food!), an easy baking project like this sounds like the perfect way to decompress. Inhaling the bright scent of lemon zest, swirling poppy seeds into the fluffy batter… Please! Sign me up. But, of course, as fun as it is to make this lemon poppy seed muffins recipe, eating the muffins is actually the best part. They’re bursting with fresh citrus flavor, and they have a moist, tender texture that’s punctuated by the poppy seeds’ crunch. I love them plain for breakfast […]

Morning Glory Muffins

Start your day with Morning Glory muffins! This recipe is packed with goodness: carrots, raisins, nuts, and warm spices. Looking…

A Couple Cooks – Recipes worth repeating.

Start your day with Morning Glory muffins! This recipe is packed with goodness: carrots, raisins, nuts, and warm spices.

Morning Glory Muffins

Looking for a cozy breakfast or snack? Try these Morning Glory Muffins! This 1970’s muffin recipe is everything it’s cracked up to be. Each one is moist and warm-spiced, studded with carrots, pineapple, raisins and pecans. There’s a bit of whole wheat flour for nutty body and a hint of coconut sprinkles as a topping. It’s like a combination of carrot cake and applesauce cake, in muffin form! Here’s how to whip up a batch.

Why are they called Morning Glory muffins?

Turns out, this famous flavor was born in the 1970’s in Nantucket. Chef Pam McKinstry created the muffin recipe for her restaurant, the Morning Glory Café, in 1978. They quickly became popular and the recipe was published in Gourmet Magazine in 1981.

The original Morning Glory muffins recipe was a straightforward muffin. The batter featured all-purpose flour and cinnamon, and it was stuffed with raisins, carrots, apple, pineapple, pecans, and coconut.

Many riffs on the original have popped up in restaurants around the country, and the muffin started to take on a vaguely “health food” vibe, sometimes including either bran or whole wheat flour.

Morning Glory muffin recipe

Ingredients in Morning Glory muffins

For this Morning Glory muffins recipe, we wanted to stay true to the original character of the muffins while also celebrating its vaguely “healthy” history. We took inspiration from this Epicurious source and former head of Tartine Bakery, who likes to add whole wheat flour and brown sugar to the mix to add that signature “brown” muffin texture. Here’s what you’ll need for this Morning Glory muffins recipe:

  • All-purpose and whole wheat flour
  • Granulated and light brown sugar
  • Cinnamon and allspice
  • Baking powder and salt
  • Canned pineapple
  • Grated carrots
  • Raisins
  • Pecans
  • Eggs
  • Applesauce
  • Vegetable oil
  • Milk
  • Vanilla extract

Mix-ins and variations

Morning Glory muffins have a variety of mix-in options, depending on the chef. If you’re used to this type of muffin, you may want to add one of the following:

  • Walnuts: use chopped walnuts instead of pecans
  • Coconut: add ¼ to ½ cup sweetened shredded coconut
  • Apples: add ½ cup peeled and diced apples
  • Orange zest: add 1 teaspoon orange zest for a beautifully zingy flavor
Morning Glory Muffins

Tips for these Morning Glory Muffins

This Morning Glory muffin recipe comes together quickly and simply: just mix the dry ingredients, mix the wet ingredients, and combine! Here are a few tips to making these muffins a success:

  • Resist the urge to overmix. Overmixing muffin batter can cause holes in the crumb and a denser texture. Mix just until the streaks of flour disappear.
  • Chop the pineapple finely. You don’t want huge chunks of pineapple here.
  • The muffin cups will be full to the brim. This is intentional: it makes for a hefty muffin with a generous muffin top.
  • Baking at 400°F makes a taller muffin. This temperature makes a taller muffin and it’s quicker to bake, versus 350°F which is standard.

Storage info

These Morning Glory muffins are even better the next day! Store them at room temperature overnight, and they become even more moist and delicious. Here are a few pointers:

  • Store up to 4 days at room temperature. Store in a sealed container and they become even more moist over time.
  • Store refrigerated for 1 week or more. Store refrigerated up to 1 week or more. Make sure to allow to come to room temperature before serving, otherwise they are very dense.
  • Frozen: Freeze the muffins in a sealed container for up to 3 months.

And that’s it! Let us know if you try these Morning Glory muffins and what you think.

Morning Glory Muffins

More muffin recipes

Want to try more classic muffin flavors? Here are a few to try?

This Morning Glory muffins recipe is…

Vegetarian.

Print
Morning Glory Muffins

Morning Glory Muffins

  • Author: Sonja Overhiser
  • Prep Time: 30 minutes
  • Cook Time: 25 minutes
  • Total Time: 55 minutes
  • Yield: 12
Print Recipe

Description

Start your day with Morning Glory muffins! This recipe is packed with goodness: carrots, raisins, nuts, and warm spices.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup [140 g] all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup [140 g] whole wheat flour
  • ½ cup [100 g] granulated sugar
  • ½ cup [100 g] light brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon allspice
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 cup canned pineapple (in juice), drained and chopped into small pieces
  • 1 cup peeled and grated carrots (2 medium)
  • ½ cup raisins
  • ½ cup chopped pecans, plus more for topping
  • 2 eggs
  • ½ cup applesauce
  • ½ cup vegetable oil
  • ½ cup milk (or orange juice*)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • Optional: Coconut flakes, for topping

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Spray a standard 12-cup muffin tin with cooking spray or add muffin cup papers.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk the all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, granulated sugar, light brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, baking powder, and kosher salt. Stir in the pineapple, carrots, raisins and chopped pecans.
  3. In a separate medium bowl, whisk the eggs, then whisk in the applesauce, vegetable oil, milk and vanilla extract until smooth. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients with a spatula until a thick, smooth batter forms.
  4. Scoop the batter evenly into the muffin cups: the cups will be full to the top. Sprinkle the tops with more chopped pecans and if desired, coconut flakes.
  5. Bake the muffins for 20 to 23 minutes, until puffed and golden and a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes in the pan, then transfer to a rack to cool fully, about 1 hour. Eat immediately or they taste even better the next day after storage in a sealed container at room temperature. Store up to 4 days in a sealed container at room temperature, refrigerated up to 1 week or more (allow to come to room temperature before serving), or frozen up to 3 months.

Notes

*Adding 1 teaspoon orange zest also brightens the flavor! Other mix in ideas: add ½ cup shredded coconut, use walnuts instead of pecans, or golden raisins instead of raisins.

  • Category: Muffin
  • Method: Baked
  • Cuisine: Breakfast
  • Diet: Vegetarian

Keywords: Morning glory muffins, morning glory muffin recipe, morning glory muffins recipe, morning glory muffin

A Couple Cooks - Recipes worth repeating.

Spinach Quiche

I’m making this spinach quiche recipe for Easter brunch this year, and I’m already looking forward to it. It’s a change from my usual breakfast casserole or frittata, and though it’s (much) more time-intensive, every second is w…


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Carrot Cake Cupcakes

These carrot cake cupcakes are the fun-size version of my favorite spring dessert: carrot cake! I’m planning to bring them to every party and gathering I go to this season because they’re 1) easy to make, 2) perfect for sharing, and 3) sooo…


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Cream Cheese Frosting

Who doesn’t love cream cheese frosting?! This sweet, tangy topping is the perfect complement to just about any cake or cupcake, not to mention cookies, bars, and quick breads. I have it on repeat around here in the spring, when we have carrot cak…


Who doesn’t love cream cheese frosting?! This sweet, tangy topping is the perfect complement to just about any cake or cupcake, not to mention cookies, bars, and quick breads. I have it on repeat around here in the spring, when we have carrot cake cupcakes for Easter, an actual carrot cake for Jack’s birthday, and then carrot cake cookies, well, just because I like them. 🙂 My cream cheese frosting recipe calls for 4 basic ingredients, and it comes together in less than 10 minutes. The next time you want to make a homemade baked good taste extra-decadent and special, […]

Carrot Cake Muffins

This carrot cake muffins recipe is a showstopper! The muffins are moist and spiced, topped with a tangy cream cheese…

A Couple Cooks – Recipes worth repeating.

This carrot cake muffins recipe is a showstopper! The muffins are moist and spiced, topped with a tangy cream cheese drizzle.

Carrot cake muffins

Here’s a muffin recipe you need in your arsenal: carrot cake muffins! These are beautifully moist and spiced, with cozy spices interspersed with pecans and bright strands of carrots. Add a tangy cream cheese glaze to decorate the tops, and it takes them into rockstar territory! This recipe is perfect in the spring, but we like it anytime of year: it’s a hit with friends and family alike!

Ingredients in this carrot cake muffins recipe

This carrot cake muffins recipe takes everything you like about the popular cake and boils it down into muffins. They’re lightly sweet so they’re not too heavy, and drizzled with just a bit of cream cheese icing (instead of the usual generous layers). There’s nothing better than a great muffin, and this one satisfies every bit of a muffin craving. Here’s what you’ll need:

  • All purpose flour
  • Brown sugar and granulated sugar
  • Cinnamon, cloves, allspice and nutmeg
  • Baking powder
  • Salt
  • Pecans (or raisins)
  • Eggs
  • Applesauce
  • Vegetable oil
  • Vanilla extract
  • Carrots

A few ingredient notes: the applesauce in the muffins keeps them beautifully moist without using more oil. If you love nuts, pecans are the perfect mix-in! You can swap them out for raisins, or you can do both (if you’re a fan of raisins in carrot cake).

Carrot cake muffins recipe

For the cream cheese glaze

The best part of these carrot cake muffins? The cream cheese glaze! This glaze is a play on our powdered sugar icing, but using cream cheese instead. Turns out, softened and warmed cream cheese makes an excellent glaze. Here are a few tips to keep in mind:

  • Heat the cream cheese. Here you’ll want to heat it so that it becomes very soft and easy to stir. We did it in the microwave, but you can also use a small saucepan and use medium low heat on the stovetop.
  • Adjust the powdered sugar and/or milk in very small quantities. The goal is a drizzle-able glaze. Powdered sugar can have some variability when you measure it, so you can add a little more if the icing is too thin. Add a bit more milk if the icing is too thick.
  • Use a fork for drizzling. The best way to drizzle icing on muffins? Use a fork, not a spoon! It makes the best lines as it drizzles off of the tines of the fork.
Carrot cake muffins recipe

Mix-ins and variations

Love a great carrot cake? There are loads of variations on carrot cake, and you can work them into these muffins easily. Here are a few more ideas:

  • Raisins: use ½ cup as noted above
  • Walnuts: use chopped walnuts instead of pecans
  • Coconut: add ¼ to ½ cup sweetened shredded coconut
  • Pineapple: add ½ cup chopped canned pineapple in place of ½ cup of the shredded carrots
  • White chocolate chips: Add another sweet layer with chips

Carrot cake muffins storage

These carrot cake muffins are so delicious, you’ll want to eat them all the day of baking! But this makes a batch of 12, which is probably more than you’ll need. Here are a few notes on storing leftovers:

  • The muffins last best uniced. If making the muffins in advance, store them un-iced and refrigerated; add the drizzle directly before serving.
  • Store with a paper towel in the container. The muffins last at room temperature in a sealed container lined with a paper towel to absorb extra moisture, about 2 days if iced or 4 days if un-iced. The glaze becomes soft during storage, but it holds its shape.
  • Store refrigerated for up to 1 week or more. Allow to come to room temperature before serving. Again, the glaze becomes softer during storage but holds up.
  • You can also freeze the muffins without the glaze. They last up to 3 months frozen.
Carrot cake muffins

More carrot recipes

This carrot cake muffins recipe is perfect for spring, Easter, or Mother’s Day brunch, but it also works any time of year. Love making recipes with this orange vegetable? Here are some ideas for carrot recipes:

This carrot cake muffins recipe is…

Vegetarian.

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Carrot cake muffins recipe

Carrot Cake Muffins

  • Author: Sonja Overhiser
  • Prep Time: 30 minutes
  • Cook Time: 25 minutes
  • Total Time: 55 minutes
  • Yield: 12
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Description

This carrot cake muffins recipe is a showstopper! The muffins are moist and spiced, topped with a tangy cream cheese drizzle.

Ingredients

For the muffins

  • 1 ¾ cups [245 g] all-purpose flour
  • ½ cup [100 g] light brown sugar
  • ⅓ cup [67 g] granulated sugar
  • 2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon cloves
  • ½ teaspoon allspice
  • ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
  • 2 teaspoon baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
  • ½ cup chopped pecans (or raisins)*
  • 2 eggs
  • 2/3 cup applesauce
  • ⅓ cup vegetable oil
  • ½ tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 2 cups peeled and grated carrots (4 to 5 medium)

For the glaze

  • 3 tablespoons cream cheese
  • ½ cup powdered sugar
  • ½ teaspoon milk

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Spray a standard 12-cup muffin tin with cooking spray or add muffin cup papers.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk the flour, light brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon, cloves, allspice, nutmeg, baking powder, and kosher salt. Stir in the chopped pecans.
  3. In a separate medium bowl, whisk the eggs, then whisk in the apple sauce, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract until smooth. Stir in the carrots with a spatula. Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix with a spatula until a thick, smooth batter forms. 
  4. Scoop the batter evenly into the muffin cups: the cups will be full to the top. 
  5. Bake the muffins for 23 to 25 minutes, until puffed and golden and a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes in the pan, then transfer to a rack to cool fully, about 1 hour. 
  6. To make the glaze, place the cream cheese in a glass measuring cup or bowl and microwave for about 20 seconds until warm (alternatively, warm it in a small saucepan over medium low heat on the stovetop). Stir in the powdered sugar and milk and mix until a drizzlable glaze forms. Use a fork to drizzle it over the muffins. (If making the muffins in advance, store them un-iced and refrigerated; add the drizzle directly before serving.)
  7. Eat the muffins immediately. Or, store at room temperature in a sealed container lined with a paper towel to absorb extra moisture, about 2 days if iced or 4 days if un-iced. Store refrigerated for up to 1 week or more (allow to come to room temperature before serving). The glaze becomes soft during storage, but it holds its shape. You can also store frozen without glaze for up to 3 months.

Notes

*If you love raisins in a carrot cake, you can use them instead of pecans: or use ½ cup of both!

  • Category: Muffins
  • Method: Baked
  • Cuisine: American
  • Diet: Vegetarian

Keywords: Carrot cake muffins, carrot cake muffins recipe, carrots muffin cake recipe

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