Mango Coconut Muffins

I love muffins. They are a staple at my house, appearing weekly to help aid in the "gotta get out the door but need to eat breakfast" situation. I especially like it when I can make muffins that have some nutritional value and aren't just an excuse to eat cake for breakfast. So I was excited that this month for Secret Recipe Club I was assigned to Sarah's blog, The Pajama Chef where I found an amazing recipe: Mango Coconut Muffins.

These muffins use coconut oil and are studded with delicious and vitamin A- and C-packed mangoes. To amp up the "tropical" quotient, they also have coconut and almond extract. You can just imagine that you're on a sandy beach soaking up the sun when you eat one of these muffins!

I used frozen mango for this, and just let them thaw slightly before chopping. If you have fresh, that's great, but frozen works well, too. You can also use a combo of regular and whole wheat flour, and experiment with different extracts. I used almond, cause it's my favorite, but vanilla or coconut would be delicious, too.

Thanks, Sarah, for a great recipe and for making my mornings brighter!

Get more great recipes at Inspiration Monday, Mix it Up.

Mango Coconut Muffins

2 cups flour (or use 1 c. all purpose and 1 c. white whole wheat)
1 Tbsp. baking powder
3/4 cup sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted and cooled
1 egg
1 tsp. almond extract
1 cup diced mango, fresh or frozen
1 cup shredded coconut, divided

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. In a separate bowl stir together buttermilk, milk, coconut oil, egg, and almond extract. Fold wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, then gently fold in mango and 1/2 cup of the coconut.

Divide batter evenly between 12 paper-lined muffin cups and then top with remaining coconut.

Bake at 400 for 17-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days and then freeze leftovers.

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