Coconut Muffins

Total Time: 55 mins Preparation Time: 30 mins Cook Time: 25 mins

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups unsweetened flaked coconut
• 1 tablespoon packed dark brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon packed dark brown sugar
• 10 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2/3-3/4 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 (5 1/2 ounce) can unsweetened coconut milk
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

Recipe

• 1 position the rack in the center of the oven; preheat oven to 400°.
• 2 coat muffin tin indentations and rims around them with cooking spray.
• 3 place ¼ cup unsweetened coconut flakes and brown sugar in a food processor fitted with a chopping blade; pulse until coarsely ground.
• 4 transfer mixture to a small bowl and stir in 4 tablespoons melted butter; set aside.
• 5 in a bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until combined.
• 6 stir in the remaining 1 ¼ cups coconut flakes until well coated; set aside.
• 7 in another bowl, whisk eggs until lightly beaten, then whisk in the coconut milk, lemon zest, and remaining melted butter; stir in the prepared flour mixture with a wooden spoon until moistened.
• 8 fill prepared muffin tins ¾ full; sprinkle about 1 ½ teaspoons of reserved coconut/brown sugar mixture on top of each muffin.
• 9 bake for 20-25 minutes or until the muffins are lightly golden brown with rounded tops.
• 10 set pan on wire rack to cool for 10 minutes; gently tip each muffin to the side to make sure it isn’t stuck; gently rock it back and forth to release it.
• 11 remove muffins from pan and cool for 5 minutes on wire rack before serving.
• 12 *chocolate coconut muffins: stir ½ cup semisweet chocolate chips into the flour mixture with the coconut flakes; proceed as directed.
• 13 *coconut rum muffins: stir 1 teaspoon rum extract in with the lemon zest; proceed as directed.
• 14 *sweet tooth coconut muffins: reduce the unsweetened coconut flakes to ¼ cup; stir 1 ¼ cup sweetened shredded coconut into the egg mixture before adding the dry ingredients; proceed as directed.