You'll rise and shine when the aroma of fresh strawberries, almond and coconut fill your home. Made with coconut milk and honey, these muffins are exceptionally moist and not overly sweet. Don't limit them to breakfast only, though. They make a lovely afternoon treat with a cup of tea.
Makes 12 muffins
Muffins:
Cooking spray
2/3 cup diced fresh strawberries**
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup light coconut milk
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon orange zest
3 tablespoons orange-blossom honey
2 teaspoons almond extract***
1/4 cup toasted sweetened shredded coconut
Topping:
2 tablespoons sweetened shredded coconut
2 tablespoons sliced almonds
Place rack in center of oven and preheat to 375 degrees. Spray a 12-mold muffin pan with cooking spray.
Wash strawberries, remove the hull and pat dry. Dice and set aside.
In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
In a separate bowl, whisk together coconut milk, melted butter and egg. Add the orange zest, honey and almond extract and whisk until just combined. Add to the flour mixture and stir quickly until well combined. (Over-mixing can make the batter heavy.) Fold in the toasted coconut and strawberries. Spoon the batter evenly into the 12 molds.
For the topping, mix 2 tablespoons sweetened shredded coconut and 2 tablespoons sliced almonds in a small bowl. Sprinkle on top of muffins.
Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, or until the tops are golden and a cake tester inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. Transfer the pan to a rack to cool for 5 minutes before removing each muffin and placing on a wire rack to cool.
** Strawberries are often considered "too watery" to use in baked goods such as muffins and breakfast breads. Here are some tips for baking successfully with fresh strawberries:
• Use only really fresh berries that are firm, not mushy.
• Don't add more strawberries to the batter. That could make it too wet.
• Don't use frozen strawberries, which are much too watery.
***Note: Almond extract is deliciously, intensely flavorful. If you prefer a mild almond flavor, use 1 teaspoon instead of 2.
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