Everything but the kitchen sink went into these muffins.  I used every utensil, measuring tool, mixing bowl, etc. and every inch of counter space to create these monstrous muffins. Even Paul look exasperated at the state of our kitchen.

But… The warm, sweet smell alone made us smile as we waited patiently (or in truth, not so patiently) for the timer to “ding”.  When I pulled them out of the oven and very gently removed them from the pan (which I did immediately as opposed to the suggested 20 minute waiting period), delicious steam poured out of them.

I titled today’s post “Liars!” because Morning Glory Muffins themselves are total falsehoods.  When you’re reading the recipe you’re thinking to yourself, “Carrots, apples, walnuts?  These are going to be so good for me!”  What these deceptive treats don’t show you are their hidden sugars and butter and all that is goodness in the world.

I was going back and forth between two recipes, and I of course chose the one that included six tablespoons of butter plus a quarter cup of oil.  Because when in doubt, always choose the recipe that includes butter.

In addition to the muffins being misleading, so is the recipe.  10 minutes of active prep. and 45 minutes of baking my foot!  If you could have seen the tremendously awful stack of dishes in the sink, you would’ve known that 10 minutes of active prep is a total lie!

With all of that said, they’re so worth it!

Macrina Morning Glory Muffin (care of epicurious.com)

INGREDIENTS:  1/2 cup seedless raisins, 1/3 cup walnut halves (toasted and coarsely chopped), 2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour, 1/2 cup granulated sugar, 2 1/4 teaspoon  cinnamon, 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1 medium carrot (grated), 1 Granny Smith apple (peeled, cored, and grated), 3/4 cup chopped pineapple, 3 eggs, 1/4 cup canola oil, 6 tablespoons unsalted butter (melted), 1 tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon juice, 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, 1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut, 1/3 cup coarse raw sugar

DIRECTIONS:  Preheat oven to 350. Grease muffin tin with canola oil or cooking spray. Place raisins in small bowl and cover with hot tap water. Let sit for 10 min, then drain and squeeze out excess liquid by hand. Sift flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking soda and salt into medium bowl. In a separate bowl, combine raisins, walnuts, carrot, apple, pineapple, eggs, canola oil, melted butter, lemon juice, vanilla and coconut and mix with wooden spoon until combined. Add dry ingredients stirring until just moistened. Do not over mix. Scoop batter into prepared muffin tin, filling cups to the top, Sprinkle with raw sugar and bak for 40-45 min. Finished muffins will be deep brown. Let cool 20 min, then slide fork down side of each cup and gently lift out of pan.