Triple Coconut Banana Muffins (Gluten-Free)

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Triple Coconut = Triple Yum (as in Yum, Yum, Yum).

 

I was a little hesitant to make these muffins.  It's not that the title of them didn't sound delicious - Triple Coconut Banana Muffins.  I would be fine with just Singular Coconut or even Double Coconut anything, let alone triple.  So no, it wasn't the title of the muffins that threw me off.  

It's just that I have so far never in my life cooked with 'only found in the natural food aisle' ingredients.  I never struck myself as a person who would do this, either.  I have always happily skirted that aisle in the grocery store, and pretty much have avoided completely organic or natural grocery stores altogether.  I have always been a big fan of my regular whole wheat flour in baking, have never shopped organic for produce, and will only occasionally substitute soy milk for skim milk in my Starbucks Grande Half-Sweet No Foam Fat-Free Hazelnut or Vanilla or Chai or Early Gray Tea Latte.  

But, wow, am I glad that I opened up my mind a little bit this time for this recipe.  The Hubby is too.  In fact, he ate 90% of these muffins in just two days, and he is not even gluten-free like me.  But, they are tiny, Tim-Bit-sized muffins, just two or three bites really, and a total coconut-lover's dream.

These muffins have two ingredients in them that I am not accustomed to, coconut flour and coconut oil.  Coconut flour is gluten-free and grain-free, extremely high in fibre, and has a really great sweet taste.  The brand that I used is Bob's Red Mill.

   

Bob has a pretty intense gaze.

Bob:  Impossible to beat in a staring contest.

When swapping wheat flour for coconut flour in a recipe, it's important to note that the ratio is not 1:1.  Because it is extraordinarily high in fibre, typically you would need only 1/4 cup of coconut flour for every cup of regular flour that a recipe calls for, and you would need to add more eggs and liquid.  If you are cooking with coconut flour rather than baking, you can use a 1:1 ratio.  

The second ingredient that I used for the first time is coconut oil:

This stuff is amazing.  Coconut oil is a vegetable oil that is made when natural oils are pressed out of coconut.  It is solid at room temperature, much like butter or shortening, but heating in the microwave for 30 seconds will give it the consistency of olive oil.  The Trader Joe's brand is $5.99 for 473 mL (16 fluid ounces).  The prices in Canada are...not as good.  Just like everything, if you can pick it up in the United States, then do so.  The Hubby and I are lucky enough to live close to the US border, so it's easy for us to go over the line for a quick shopping spree.  If you don't have that option I would still recommend biting the bullet and picking up a jar in Canada, because one jar will last quite awhile since you don't have to use much of the stuff when baking and cooking.

So, to recap, this recipe has triple the coconut:  coconut flour, coconut oil, and last but not least, shredded coconut.

Add a couple bananas and some other baking ingredients, and you have yourself some extremely tasty and incredibly addictive muffins.  Even if I wasn't on a gluten-free regime, I would still want to eat these muffins all the time.  I am going to go bake another batch right now!

What is your favourite way to cook with coconut oil or coconut flour?

Triple Coconut Banana Muffins (Gluten-Free)

Ingredients

• 2 medium bananas
• 2 eggs
• 2 tbsp. unsweetened applesauce
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup honey
• 2 tbsp. extra virgin coconut oil
• 1/4 cup coconut flour
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. sea salt
• 1/4 cup plus 9 tsp. shredded unsweetened coconut 

Directions
Preheat oven to 350F, and make sure you have a rack set in the middle of the oven.  Spray 9 spots in a muffin tin with nonstick spray (or you could even apply coconut oil inside the tins), or line with muffin liners.  Set aside.

Set up your food processor, and add bananas, eggs, applesauce, and vanilla.

Blend until well mixed and a liquid consistency (about 1 minute).

Put the coconut oil in a microwave-safe bowl, and microwave for 30 seconds, or until melted.  Add the honey to the melted coconut oil, and mix until combined.  Turn on your food processor, and pour the coconut oil / honey mixture through the feed tube into the banana mixture.  This helps to keep the coconut oil from solidifying.

Add the coconut flour, baking powder, and salt to the food processor.  Pulse or mix for about 1 minute, or until well combined and there are no lumps.  Stir in 1/4 cup of shredded coconut.

Pour mixture into 9 holes in the greased muffin tin, filling 3/4 full.  Apply 1 tsp. of shredded coconut on top of each muffin.

Bake in the middle of the oven in a preheated oven set at 350F for 23 to 28 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the centre of the muffin comes out clean.  Keep an eye on the coconut topping.  Allow to cool in the muffin tin for about 5 minutes, then remove each muffin from the tin and cool on a wire rack.

Try not to eat all 9 muffins in one day!!

Adapted From:  Big Eats, Tiny Kitchen