Chocolate Banana Coconut Muffins

It was one crazy year, that 2009–the month of December was packed with traveling, visiting family and friends, and recently getting my health back from being sick. I loved all the celebrating, the visiting, the cooking, and of course, the baking but I’m sooo glad the holidays are over. It’s time for a new year full of new opportunities and exciting prospects– time to look at things with fresh eyes.

A new year and fresh eyes means a clean slate and many new begininnings. Some of us have made resolutions for the year ahead: eat healthier, lose weight, exercise more often, spend less money, be nicer– just to name a few. For me, resolutions were only good for maybe 2 weeks tops, and then I would be back to old habits. The last few years, rather than making resolutions, I started to create goals instead. When January rolls around, I take the first couple of weeks to assess and then I write a list of realistic attainable goals that relates to each aspect of my life. This process has worked much better for me and I’m so excited for what lies ahead in the near future.

Speaking of fresh starts, here is a new twist on a delicious classic; chocolate banana muffins, one of my favorites. My inspiration for these muffins comes from two recipes; one by Nick Malgieri and the other, a recipe from La Tartine Gourmande. I’ve made both recipes with great success and have equal love for each. This time, I’ve combined elements from each recipe and created a delicious breakfast or anytime snack.

I love La Tartine Gourmande’s use of gluten-free flours as I experiment with these flours myself often. I don’t have a gluten intolerance specifically but it does run in my family. So, I’ve just been experimenting with alternative flours here and there and sometimes combine many different types in my baking. For this recipe, I decided to go with a combination of all-purpose flour, buckwheat flour, and unsweetened cocoa. The rest of the recipe loosely follows La Tartine Gourmande’s recipe for Banana Coconut muffins.

The result? A moist, delicious, and light chocolate snack. Just right for warming up in the oven or microwave on those cold mornings–and a perfect snack to go along with a cup of tea in the afternoon.

Wishes to you all for a year filled with loads of peace, love, and endless happiness–Happy New Year!

Chocolate Banana Coconut Muffins

Inspired by La Tartine Gourmande and Nick Malgieri

3 ripe bananas

2 eggs

2/3 cup packed dark brown sugar

1/2 cup unsweetened coconut

1 cup all purpose flour

1/2 cup buckwheat flour

1/2 cup dutch processed cocoa

1/2 cup coconut oil*

1/4 cup unsweetened coconut milk

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/8 teaspoon of salt

*In a small pot, heat coconut oil on low to medium heat until melted and measure.

In a bowl, mash the bananas with a fork; set aside. Preheat the oven at 350 F. Fill a muffin pan with papers and set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the eggs with the sugar until light and fluffy. Add the oil and mix well. Add the coconut milk and mix.

In a bowl, combine the flours, grated coconut, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ones and mix until just combined.

Fold in the bananas.

Fill the muffin pan. Sprinkle with more grated coconut and bake for 20- 25 minutes.

Tagged as: banana, Breakfast, chocolate, coconut, coconut milk, muffins, new years goals, new years resolutions, tea cakes