Do you know the muffin? Man!

Muffins – I love them!! They are a quick fun breakfast, snack, anytime food that packs a lot of flavor in a tiny little package of absolute cuteness… sometimes!!

Over the last few weeks I have been experimenting with some muffin recipes as I love me some berries and bananas and I hate mornings… thus a muffin made well and in advance makes my mouth and my morning happy ! Yay for not having to get up earlier to make breakfast!! I have had some triumphs and some serious pitfalls! And when I say pitfalls I am specifically referring to the next week of my life – why? Because I made a double batch of what I can safely say are my least favorite muffins of all time just because the bananas were on the blackish side… Argh! I can't throw away perfectly edible (although some may debate this) food... thus we'll be chowing on these puppies till they're gone... At least my consolation is this- the glorious reproduction of a fantastic muffin which will be mine once these pitiful excuses for sustenance are no more...  

First – the banana muffin… I’ll admit it straight off – I bought the bananas from the market and they were a bit on the green side. Wanting to try this recipe I threw them in the fridge to “ripen” them… I will not do that again… while the peel darkened I’m fairly confident that desired ripening within did not! All the same, I did expect that a recipe titled, “Perfect Banana Muffin” would be tastier than these were. I do believe that I have discovered what it was missing. Even now, as I am typing I’m nodding my head “yes” and agreeing with myself that indeed it is the lack of tang given by the (wait for it!!) mayonnaise typically found in banana bread that is decidedly absent here. Just in case you are wondering what pin to avoid or are just curious to know what I did not enjoy here is the link.

Now – for the sheer delight – which is inspiring me to hurry up and eat the yuck muffins so that I can remake the heaven muffins… Coconut Blueberry Muffins!!! I never would have put these two flavors together except that I had some coconut that I really wanted to use up and so on a whim I searched for coconut blueberry recipes… SOOOOO glad that I did!! They are moist! They have the perfect texture! They are simply delicious!! Normally I would post a link to the original recipe here but according to Pinterest and my anti-spyware software the original path is dangerous… below is the recipe I used with the healthified modifications I made when I baked these.

Coconut Blueberry Muffins

2c. all purpose flour

1tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. baking soda

¼ tsp. salt

1c. sugar

1 large egg

½ c. apple sauce

1tsp. vanilla extract

¾ c. milk

¾ c. shredded coconut

1c. blueberries (fresh or frozen – it isn’t necessary to thaw if frozen)

Preheat the oven to 375-degrees. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with liners.

In a bowl whisk together flour, baking soda & baking poweder.  In another bowl whisk together sugar and egg. Then, add applesauce and extract. Stir in half the dry ingredient mix. Add milk and then stir in the remaining flour mixture. When everything is nearly combined,  gently stir in the coconut and the blueberries. Fill the muffin cups ¾ full and bake for 15-18 minutes.

MAKE THESE NOW!!! You will not regret it!!!

So… some of you may be wondering about the last five six months… yeah… I've been working like a mad crazy person. Shortly after my last post we decided to home school our kids for the year so in addition to everything else I was doing, I became a full-time teacher. Then came the holidays… In January I started my masters degree at Regent – Practical Theology with a concentration in Social Justice. There have been some other family concerns – a death, some sickness, and other concerns…. In short – life looks a lot different this spring compared to last fall. It looked fun then and it looks fabulous now!! Life is full and there is never a dull moment!!! I’m getting the hang of this new world and I continue to be surprised by the seasons God gives!! Perhaps this is what is meant by John 10:10, “I have come that you might have life and have it to the full.” Boy – and!