Pumpkin Morning Glory Muffins

This post contains affiliate links.

I don’t know about you, but I can never wait for fall to drag out the pumpkin and start baking. Truth be told (and this is just between you and me), I made these in July. What can I tell you? I just had a hankering for pumpkin spice. These are chock-full of all kinds of goodness with pumpkin, dried fruit, warm spices, and everything that will make your breakfast, lunch, or dinner special. These are not overly sweet, so work well with soup and salad as much as they do for meals earlier in the day. I’ll tell you what, I am going to be making more of these.

Pumpkin Morning Glory Muffins

1 3-oz. pkg. Melissa's dried apricots, chopped
1/3 c. raisins
1 stick butter, melted
½ c. whole milk
2/3 c. dark brown sugar, packed
2 large eggs
½ c. pumpkin purée
2 T. vanilla extract
½ t. rum flavoring
2 c. flour
1 T. pumpkin pie spice*
¼ t. cinnamon
1 t. baking powder
½ t. baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 medium carrots, grated
1 Granny Smith apple, graded and squeezed dry
½ c. shredded coconut
1 c. chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350° F. Spray a 12-cup muffin tin (or 6-cup jumbo muffin tin) with Baker’s Joy, or use muffin liners. (I like these.)

Soak the apricots and raisins in hot water while you prep the other ingredients.

In the work bowl of a stand mixer, place butter, milk, brown sugar, eggs, pumpkin, vanilla, and rum flavoring. Beat on medium speed until well combined. Add flour, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, and mix on lowest setting just to combine.

Add carrots, apple, coconut, and nuts. Drain water from apricots and raisins and add them to the bowl. Stir just to combine.

Divide batter evenly among muffin cups. Sprinkle with Demerara sugar. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center of the muffin comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cool on a rack for 10 minutes before removing from muffin tin. Enjoy.

 *Don’t have any on hand? You can make your own, recipe here.