There is something distinctly tropical about coconuts. I was watching IronChef America on Foxtel’s Food Channel on the weekend, and the theme was coconuts, oh glorious coconuts. From coconut milk for curries, coconut oil for aromatics, dessicated coconut for desserts, coconut juice for drinks, and that wonderful thing known as pina coladas – coconut has it all. So to celebrate everything coconut, I thought I’d add a little bit of kick to my usual banana muffins by incorporating dessicated coconut shards and voila! Instant coconut hit!

No frosting, no topping, nothing – just the sheer tropical flavours of banana and coconut with a slight fudgy brown sugar kick.

Banana Coconut Muffins

Recipe adapted from Exclusively Food’s Banana Cake

Makes approximately 12 – 14 muffins

125g unsalted butter, softened

1 1/2 cups soft, brown sugar

2 very ripe bananas (medium size), mashed

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

2 eggs

1/3 cup buttermilk

1 1/2 cups self raising flour

1/2 tsp bicarbonate soda

Pinch of salt

1/2 cup dessicated coconuts

1. Preheat oven to 160 deg C. Line your muffin tin with paper cases.
2. Mix together mashed bananas, butter, eggs, sugar, and vanilla extract.
3. Slowly add buttermilk.
4. In another bowl, sift flour, bicardbonate soda, and salt. Add this to the wet ingredients and mix to combine.
5. Fold in dessicated coconut.
6. Divide batter evenly on to the prepared muffin tin. Bake for 20 minutes.
7. Cool on rack. Enjoy!