Pineapple Coconut Muffins

Fun tropical muffins packed with pineapple, coconut, and rum!

I haven’t always been a great breakfast eater. For years I didn’t even eat breakfast, preferring to starve until lunch. A few years ago (when I sensed my youthful metabolism slowing down) I made some changes to my diet and lifestyle, and one of them was to eat breakfast every day. It was difficult to get in the habit of it at first, but I’ve learned to enjoy breakfast.

During the week I usually keep my morning meal quick, light, and healthy, like toast or a fruit smoothie. On the weekends however, I usually splurge a little. I enjoy sleeping in and when I do manage to roll out of bed I crave eggs, bacon, and all sorts of freshly baked scones, bread, and muffins.

I do a lot of baking in the mornings on the weekend, especially when those cravings cannon be ignored. Such was the case last weekend when I baked these Pineapple Coconut Muffins. Earlier in the week we included grilled fresh pineapple with one of our meals and I put a bit of the extras aside, knowing I would want to use it in some way later.

And on Sunday I was struck with inspiration right at the same moment my weekend breakfast craving hit. I remembered the pineapple sitting in a tupperware in the fridge and had four thoughts— muffins, pineapple, coconut, and booze.

It all came together in my mind. Once in a pineapple-and-coconut state of mind, the addition of rum seemed like a no-brainer. And it was the weekend, after all. All I needed was a recipe to use as a starting point.

I started with a basic blueberry muffin recipe and turned it on its head, swapping this for that, adding something here, omitting something else there. And I ended with what I had envisioned all along— a light and tender muffin, with a hint of coconut and bright bursts of juicy pineapple. Finished off with a crisp topping of brown sugar and coconut, it was nearly perfect.

A few things to note, next time I make these muffins (and there will be a next time), I plan to chop the pineapple finer so that the flavor is carried through the whole muffin and not just in one or two large chunks. Also, if you don’t want to use rum, don’t. Vanilla will work just fine.

Include these Pineapple Coconut Muffins in your next brunch menu. The piña colada flavor profile is perfect for this time of year and is sure to be a crowd pleaser! 

Pineapple Coconut Muffins

Servings: 12 muffins

Prep Time: 10 minutes mins

Cook Time: 20 minutes mins

Total Time: 30 minutes mins

Fun tropical muffins packed with pineapple, coconut, and rum!

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Ingredients

 

½1x2x

• ▢ 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• ▢ 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon coarse salt
• ▢ ½ cup packed light or dark brown sugar
• ▢ ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons shredded unsweetened coconut
• ▢ 3 egg whites
• ▢ 3 tablespoons unsalted butter , melted
• ▢ ⅔ cup sour cream
• ▢ 1 cup pineapple , diced into small pieces
• ▢ 2 teaspoons dark rum or vanilla extract

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 375°F. Butter and flour a muffin pan, or line with muffin paper liners.
• In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, salt, 6 tablespoons of the sugar, and ¼ cup of the coconut. In another bowl, whisk the sour cream, butter, egg whites, and rum (or vanilla) together until smooth. Stir in the diced pineapple. Stir the dry ingredients into the sour cream mixture and stir with a spoon until just combined, do not overmix.
• Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin pan, filling each cup to about ¾ of the way full. In a small bowl, combine the remaining 2 tablespoons of the coconut and 2 tablespoons of the brown sugar. Sprinkle over the muffin batter.
• Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 20-25 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

Notes

Adapted from The Home Baker.

Calories: 166kcal, Carbohydrates: 24g, Protein: 3g, Fat: 7g, Saturated Fat: 4g, Cholesterol: 14mg, Sodium: 166mg, Potassium: 84mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 11g, Vitamin A: 175IU, Vitamin C: 7mg, Calcium: 27mg, Iron: 1mg

Cuisine: American

Course: Snack

Author: Annalise Sandberg

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