Coconut Muffins Recipe
Very easy, bakery-style toasted coconut muffins with a soft, moist crumb that will rise wonderfully. They're plain, flavorful and perfect for breakfast, Easter brunch, bake sales and as a back-to-school snack. You can use regular-sized or jumbo muffin pans. They keep well and can be frozen. For extra coconut flavor, see Notes below.
Servings 12 regular muffins
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cups unsweetened shredded coconut you can lightly toast it but it's not essential
- 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup sugar
- 1 ¼ teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 egg at room temperature
- ¾ cup milk at room temperature
- ¼ cup coconut oil
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
To lightly toast the coconut:
- Preheat the oven to 300°F (150°C).
- Spread 1 ¼ cups unsweetened shredded coconut on a clean baking sheet.
- Bake for 5-10 minutes, moving it around once or twice when the outer rim starts to color (I use a spatula or dough scraper) so it toasts more evenly. For me, they're ready at about 7-8 minutes.
- Watch it carefully as it can burn quickly. When lightly toasted remove from the oven and let cool completely on a wire rack.
For the muffin batter:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180ºC).
- Use 12 regular muffin liners in a metal muffin pan.
- In a large bowl, mix the dry ingredients: 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour, 1 ¼ teaspoons baking powder, ¼ teaspoon baking soda, ¼ teaspoon salt ¾ cup sugar and the cooled toasted coconut.
- In a medium bowl, combine 1 egg, ¾ cup milk, ¼ cup coconut oil and ½ teaspoon vanilla extract. Do not beat, but mix well until the egg whites are fully integrated.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients all at once. Stir until just combined, avoiding overmixing.
- Divide the batter evenly between the muffin cups. It will fill about ¾ of each muffin. Depending on the height of your muffin tin, you'll get 10 to 12 muffins. For a crunchier topping, sprinkle a little raw coconut on top before baking.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes, until risen, golden brown and a cake tester or toothpick comes out clean. Don’t overbake.
- Allow to cool on a wire rack.
- Store at room temperature for 2 days, covered in plastic or an airtight container, or freeze for a month.
Notes
Baking time: consider that all ovens and pans are different, even if they look similar. The baking time in my recipes is as accurate as possible, but it might take you more or less time. You can use a thermometer to check that your oven is at the right temperature. I recommend tracking how your oven works and what tiny details you might need to adjust.
Double batch: this recipe can easily be doubled if making them for a large crowd or if you want to make ahead and freeze.
Extra coconut flavor: use ¼ teaspoon vanilla and add ½ teaspoon coconut extract. You can also substitute ¼ coconut milk for the same amount as the regular one.
