Morning Glory Muffins

Organic Whole Cane Sugar is made from dried, unrefined, naturally evaporated sugar cane juice. The cane juice, rich in molasses, vitamins and minerals, is extracted, clarified, evaporated and crystallized. It can be used as a one-for-one replacement for refined white sugar.

I like to make a big batch of muffins and freeze most of them. That way, I can just grab one or two as needed. (They thaw out great in the refrigerator.) Along with a piece of fruit or bowl of yogurt, they make a great breakfast. They also make a great snack!

I want to start including prices for my recipes so that you can determine if your budget allows you to purchase any of the organic ingredients. The only ingredients that I had to purchase for this recipe was the apple butter, wheat germ, and an apple, which cost a total of $9.

*I could not find organic apple butter or wheat germ. However, the apple butter had no added sugar and only two ingredients listed: “fresh apples and apple cider.” The wheat germ was listed as “no solvents used” and explained why: “Some wheat germ is processed with solvents such as hexane to strip the perishable oil and valuable Vitamin E from the germ. The resulting defatted wheat germ is added by some companies to their products and labeled as “wheat germ.” If a product you use is made with “wheat germ,” but doesn’t list the Vitamin E content, we suggest that you ask the manufacturer to explain.”

Morning Glory Muffins

Adapted from All Recipes

Makes 24

Ingredients:

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
½ cup whole wheat flour
1 ¼ cups organic whole cane sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons aluminum-free baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
2 cups grated carrots
1 apple-peeled, cored, and chopped
1 cup dried cranberries
1 egg
2 egg whites
½ cup apple butter*
¼ cup canola oil
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons chopped walnuts
2 tablespoons wheat germ*

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375. Lightly oil 24 muffin cups, or coat with nonstick cooking spray. (I found organic cooking spray at Wal-Mart.)
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, egg whites, apple butter, oil and vanilla.
In a large bowl, stir together flours, sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir in carrots, apples and dried cranberries. Stir in apple butter mixture until just moistened. Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups, filling them about ¾ full.
3. Sprinkle the wheat germ and walnuts evenly over the muffin tops.
4. Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes, or until the tops are golden and spring back when lightly pressed.