banana and coconut. woot woot, splendid!
the batter is not too sweet and full of wonderful banana flavor. coconut adds spunk and that delightful chew. they look nice and scrappy and welcoming. they taste like wonderful things taste. and their densely plump crumb would make any muffin enthusiast beam.
and you'll get streusel fingers. when the buttery coconutty streusel cakes onto your fingertips as you crumble it over the batter and you get to lick it off, finger by finger.
major life bonus.
today you should take the time to get a muffin and share it with someone you like.
i said share, not bicker about who's getting more of the muffin top.
or better yet, whip up a batch of these and you can each have like 4 muffins.
go crazy, it's friday.
if you have a bestie and it's her day of birth, she probably wants muffins. make them for her. if she lives in new york and you do not, stick a candle in one, take a picture and send it to her.
i ate your birthday muffin aviva. if you were here, i'd be the best muffin top sharer this land has ever seen. maybe even let you have the whole thing...the whole batch!
then i'd let you beat me at bananagrams and we'd behave like monkeys.
Banana Coconut Streusel Muffins
adapted from The Perfect Finish by Bill Yosses and Melissa Clark
1/2 cup dry grated unsweetened coconut (can use sweetened if that's all you have)
2 tbsp light brown sugar, packed
1 cup plus 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
1/8 tsp salt, plus a pinch for the streusel
2 tbsp cold unsalted butter, sliced
6 tbsp sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 cup neutral oil, preferably safflower or grapeseed
3/4 cup mashed overripe bananas (about 2 small bananas)
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup buttermilk or whole milk
1 large egg, room temperature
preheat oven to 350. lightly grease and flour cups of a standard muffin tin, or use paper muffin cups.
for the streusel, in a bowl stir together the coconut, brown sugar, 2 tbsp of flour, and a pinch of salt. add the butter and rub the mixture together with your fingertips until you have large crumbles. set aside.
in a large bowl, whisk together the remaining cup of flour, the sugar, baking powder, and the remaining 1/8 tsp salt. in another small bowl, stir together the 1/4 cup of oil with the mashed bananas, milk/buttermilk, vanilla, and egg until they are well combined. add the banana mixture to the flour mixture and stir until just combined.
using an ice cream scoop, fill the prepared muffin cups halfway. top the muffins with streusel, dividing the streusel evenly among the muffins. bake on the center rack until they rise and are golden and bounce back when pressed, about 30 minutes. let cool in the tin for 15 minutes and serve warm. the leftovers can be stored in an airtight container or wrapped in foil and kept in the refrigerator and then re-warmed in the oven before serving.
