Banana Coconut Muffins

Delicious banana muffins with added shredded coconut. It is my next recipe where I used coconut oil* which, from now on is going to be one of my key ingredients.
Muffins are moist thanks to bananas and keep fresh for a long time. Not so sweet they are ideal for breakfast or teatime.

*see also coconut slices with coconut oil



Banana Coconut Muffins
makes 18 medium muffins

Ingredients:
100g coconut oil
150g (about 60-70ml) sour cream
220g plain flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
80g light muscavado sugar
50g shredded coconut
1 eggs, beaten lightly
Icing:
3-4 tablespoon icing sugar
1-2 teaspoons banana liqueur or water

Method:

1. Preheat oven, 180c. Fill muffins pan with paper cases.
2. Put flour, sugar, shredded coconut and baking powder in a large bowl and stir together.
3. Combine sour cream, coconut oil and egg in a separate bowl.
4. Stir the liquid mixture into the flour mixture until just combined. Do not over stir the mixture.
5. Divide the muffin mixture between the paper cases (they should be about two-thirds full).
6. Transfer to a preheated oven, 180C, and bake for 25-30 minutes until risen and golden (skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean).
7. While the muffins are cooking , make the icing. Place the icing sugar in a small bowl, then stir in water or banana liqueur.
8. when muffins are cooked, remove them from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool. When they have cooled, spread each muffin with some of the icing.

Enjoy :)

Rose Water Raspberry Muffins.

Raspberry muffins and rose water* is a very interesting combination. Rose water adds a bit of an oriental taste and makes simple muffins unusual...

*Thanks Sarika for interesting outing to ‘small piece of India’.

Rose water icing is a must! Although you rose water is used for a mixture, without icing the taste won’t be the same!

Rose Water Raspberry Muffins

Makes 6 muffins

Ingredients:

Dry ingredients:
110g (3/4 cup) plain flour
30g (1/4 cup)ground almond
75g (1/3 cup) sugar ( I used fruit sugar)
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

Wet ingredients:
1 egg, beaten lightly
4 tablespoons sunflower oil
6 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon Rose Water ( I used Heera brand)
80g fresh or frozen raspberry


Rose water icing
7 tablespoons icing sugar
2 tablespoons rose water
1-2 teaspoons water (optional)
1 teaspoon cranberry juice (it makes pink colour, optional)

Method:

1. Preheat oven, 170c. Put 6 paper baking cases in a muffin pan.
2. Put plain flour, ground almond, sugar, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda in a large bowl and stir together.
3. Combine milk, sunflower oil, egg and rose water in a separate bowl.
4. Stir the egg mixture into the flour mixture until just combined. Do not over stir the mixture.
5. Gently fold in fresh/frozen raspberries.
5. Divide the muffin mixture between the paper cases (they should be about two-thirds full).
6. Transfer to a preheated oven, 170C, and bake for 25-30 minutes until risen and golden (skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean).
7. While the muffins are cooking , make the rose icing. Place the icing sugar in a bowl, then stir in rose water.
8. when muffins are cooked, remove them from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool. When they have cooled, spread each muffin with some of the icing.


Enjoy :-)

Queijadinha.

Queijadinha are the best coconut ‘muffins’ I have ever done. I call them “muffins” because it’s hard to find exactly right English word. Besides, I used paper muffin cases for baking so they look as muffins. However, you will discover the difference between normal muffins and ‘these muffins’ right after trying them.

Today, what I know for sure, is that Queijadinha are very addictive!

My first Queijadinha aren’t exactly the same as in the recipe from Sil*, but as she said, there are many recipes and combination for Queijadinha so this time I was lucky, because instead of milk I used double cream, I added more coconut and I used more condensed milk. That is how I made my first traditional Brazilian sweets.
Main tester of course was Sil and She really enjoyed them :).

*Thanks Sil for inspiration!

Queijadinha

Makes 14**

Ingredients:

8 tablespoons plain flour

3 tablespoons hard grated cheese
2 eggs, beaten lightly
200ml sweetened condensed milk
120ml double cream
1.5 teaspoons baking powder
1 tablespoon butter
140g dried, shredded Coconut

**14 medium muffin cases

Method:

1. Preheat oven, 195C. Put 14 paper baking cases in a muffin pan.

2. Soak the dried shredded coconut into 120ml double cream for 10 minutes.
3. In a large bowl beat eggs with sweetened condensed milk, add 1 tablespoon butter and beat again until well combined. Add shredded coconut and double cream and stir together.
4. Sieve the flour and baking powder. Add flour and grated cheese and stir gently until well combined.
5. Divide the mixture between the paper cases (they should be about two-thirds full).
6. Transfer to a preheated oven, 195C, and bake for 25-30 minutes until risen and golden
7. Transfer to a wire-rack to cool.


Enjoy :)

Coffee muffins.

Coffee, coffee everywhere. Well, for some of us living without coffee is a disaster :). For me coffee is a good thing but only if drinking from time to time, made by myself with fresh milk and some extras like Kahlua or Bailey’s liqueur or vanilla ice creams.
Today, instead of another cup of coffee I decided to make a few coffee muffins. It’s so nice to take a short break from work*, don’t you think?

* Working at home sometimes is a big advantage. For example, you can take a 30 minutes break and bake some delicious muffins :)

When comparing to a regular coffee cup, these muffins aren’t that strong, but still they can wake you up. They are very soft and fluffy and they get even better next day (coffee flavor gets stronger).
But who will be waiting for the next day?

Coffee muffins

Makes 9 muffins

Ingredients:

Dry ingredients
150g (1 cup) plain flour
75g (1/3 cup) brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

Wet ingredients:
1 egg, beaten lightly
6 tablespoons oil
6 tablespoons milk
7 tablespoons good quality dark espresso (one medium shot), cooled
3 tablespoons Kahlua liqueur **

** Optional, you can also add 1tbsp of coffee extract

Method:

1. Preheat oven, 180c. Put 9 paper baking cases in a muffin pan.
2. Put flour, sugar, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda in a large bowl and stir together.
3. Combine milk, cooled coffee, oil, egg and Kahula liqueur in a separate bowl.
4. Stir the egg mixture into the flour mixture until just combined. Do not over stir the mixture.
5. Divide the muffin mixture between the paper cases (they should be about two-thirds full).
6. Transfer to a preheated oven, 180C, and bake for 25-30 minutes until risen and golden (skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean).
7. Transfer to a wire-rack to cool.
8. Dust with icing sugar, if desired



Enjoy :)

Coconut-chocolate muffins. The simpliest birthday cake.

If you don’t want to spend all day in the kitchen during your birthday day why not to prepare something simple and delicious?! Why not to prepare divine coconut-chocolate muffins?

These little muffins are as gourmet as birthday cake except you spend less time for baking and decorating.
Yes, It’s so nice to bake a BIG birthday cake but I do this only for my family and friends. For my own birthday I want something fast, tasty and different than traditional cakes.
If you have 35 minutes, love coconut, chocolate, muffins and want to prepare something special I would love to share with you my own recipe :).

Coconut-chocolate muffins as a birthday cake

Makes 4 birthday cakes*
Ingredients:Dry ingredients:
110g (3/4 cup) plain flour
100g (1/2 cup) brown sugar
30g (1/3 cup) desiccated coconut
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

Wet ingredients100ml milk
100ml coconut milk**
6 tablespoons sunflower oil
1 egg, lightly beaten

Filling:100g mascarpone cheese
200ml double cream
4 teaspoons icing sugar
8 tablespoons rum with coconut (I used Malibu)***
3 tablespoons coffee liqueur or Baileys liqueur (I used Sheridan liqueur)***
3 teaspoons cocoa powder

* I used 4 ramekins (8cm in diameter) but you can also use traditional muffins cases (5cm in diameter, makes 6)
** do not shake can prior opening and use only liquid coconut milk (in this recipe we don’t use coconut cream)
*** adding some liqueur and rum makes filling less insipid
Method:
To make muffins:1. Preheat oven, 180C. Grease a 6-hole muffin pan (do not use muffin paper cases) or grease 4 ramekins.
2. Put flour, sugar, desiccated coconut, cocoa powder, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda in a bowl and stir together.
3. Combine milk, coconut milk, sunflower oil and egg together in a separate bowl.
4. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and stir in the wet ingredients. Stir until just combined; do not over-mix.
5. Divide the mixture between the muffin pan/ramekins, filling each no more than three-quarters full.
6. Bake in a preheated oven for 20-25 minutes (muffin pan), 30-35(ramekins) or until well risen and firm to the touch.
7. Remove muffins from the oven. Stand in the muffin pan/ramekins 5 minutes before turning onto wire rack to cool.

To make filling:1. Place double cream in a bowl and whip until it holds soft peaks. Add the mascarpone cheese and the icing sugar and beat together until smooth.
2. (Coconut filling).Put two-third of the filling in a separate bowl and gradually add the coconut rum. Stir until just combined.
3. (Chocolate filling). Rest of the filling stir gently with cocoa powder and liqueur.

To assemble birthday cake:1. Cut each muffin horizontally into three even layers.
2. Place base layer on serving plate. Spread base with the coconut filling.
3. Top with second layer of cake and repeat layering with coconut filling.
4. Top with last layer of cake. Spread top with chocolate filling.
5. Decorate with flaked coconut. Store in the refrigerator.

Enjoy :)