Tropical Muffins with Coconut-Macadamia Topping

19 Reviews
ADD YOUR REVIEW
Photo: Randy Mayor; Styling: Leigh Ann Ross
Yield
1 dozen (serving size: 1 muffin)
By Jaime Harder, MA, RD
April 2008
RECIPE BY Cooking Light

Most monounsaturated fat in each serving comes from mild-flavored canola oil and rich macadamia nuts. Flaked sweetened coconut is high in saturated fat for a plant food (nearly 94 percent of the fat is saturated), but a little offers nutty flavor to the batter and texture to the topping.

Ingredients

  • Muffins:
  • 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour (about 6 ounces)
  • 1 cup regular oats
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup mashed ripe banana (about 2)
  • 1 cup low-fat buttermilk
  • 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons canola oil
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/2 cup canned crushed pineapple in juice, drained
  • 1/3 cup flaked sweetened coconut
  • 3 tablespoons finely chopped macadamia nuts, toasted
  • Cooking spray
  • Topping:
  • 2 tablespoons flaked sweetened coconut
  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped macadamia nuts
  • 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
  • 1 tablespoon regular oats

Nutritional Information

  • Calories 205
  • Caloriesfromfat 29%
  • Fat 6.7g
  • Satfat 1.7g
  • Monofat 3.4g
  • Polyfat 1g
  • Protein 4.3g
  • Carbohydrate 33.3g
  • Fiber 2g
  • Cholesterol 19mg
  • Iron 1.5mg
  • Sodium 215mg
  • Calcium 69mg

How to Make It

Step 1

Preheat oven to 400°.

Step 2

To prepare muffins, lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour and next 4 ingredients (through salt) in a large bowl. Make a well in center of flour mixture. Combine banana and next 5 ingredients (through egg) in a medium bowl; add to flour mixture, stirring just until moist. Stir in pineapple, 1/3 cup coconut, and 3 tablespoons nuts. Spoon batter into 12 muffin cups coated with cooking spray.

Step 3

To prepare topping, combine 2 tablespoons coconut and the remaining ingredients in a small bowl.

Step 4

Sprinkle about 1 teaspoon of topping over each muffin. Bake at 400° for 18 minutes or until muffins spring back when touched lightly in center. Remove muffins from pans immediately; place on a wire rack.

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Ratings & Reviews

Yummy

Anelamea
April 06, 2017
Took these to a staff meeting and they were a hit.  I got a yield of 14.

vpteacher's Review

keddy1221
August 04, 2014
Moist and Tasty. I did not even have the macadamia nuts so they were missing form the batter and I did not put on the topping and even with that......Delicious. Served them with a salad for a gals lunch. Came out of the pan so easy with no papers, just the baking spray. Highly recommend them!!!

Marasoph's Review

StephMerrifield
October 08, 2012
N/A

dokey347's Review

PenelopeRB
May 29, 2012
Hello Girls; Has anyone tried to use Yogurt or 2% milk instead of Buttermilk? Please let me know how they came out!

gottaloveit's Review

daneanp
July 26, 2011
This makes a very moist muffin with a good blend of flavors. I enjoyed the coconut texture. I used pecans instead of the macadamia nuts and had to add another tablespoon or so to the topping mixture. In my oven, they cooked perfectly in the 18 mins. Great muffin to serve in the summer!

portland's Review

bubby427
February 20, 2011
easy to make, uses a lot of "good" ingredients, but i found the texture a little gummy. taste is just alright; i don't think this will be a repeat recipe for me.

JaninBaltimore's Review

susan
December 26, 2010
I made these for the holidays and everyone loved them! I used half whole wheat pastry and all-purpose flours, unsweetened coconut, 1/4 cup egg substitute and 1/4 cup Splenda Brown Sugar Blend but otherwise followed the recipe.

tinkervamp's Review

gottaloveit
September 25, 2010
They were tasty, but I personally didn't care for the soft pineapple bits. I felt they were better right out of the fridge cold. My kids didn't care for them, but hubby liked them. It's always fun trying new recipes, but I wouldn't make them again.

mjmayinsf's Review

tinkervamp
June 13, 2010
Fabulous! I used whole wheat pastry flour, fresh pineapple, and unsweetened shredded coconut. The sweetness was perfect for me (but I don't like things too sweet). I made 24 mini-muffins and had to bake for the full 18 minutes - next time, I will drain the pineapple better. My only complaint was they were hard to get out of the pan, so make sure to coat thoroughly with cooking spray (and drain your pineapple after crushing, if using fresh). Yum!

PenelopeRB's Review

pretendchef
April 26, 2010
These are easy and tasty. Very moist. I cut the sugar a little bit and used pecans in lieu of macadamias. Also, added bittersweet chocolate chips, a heaping 1/3 cup or so, and placed a chip on top of each muffin. I found they took an extra 2-3 minutes of baking time (altitude might be the reason here). They rose nicely and were a hit with the three year old. I like them warmed slightly.