Once in a while, when I’m awake before my early-rising kids on a Saturday, I’ll get ambitious and make muffins. Banana muffins are always a favorite, but these whole wheat banana-berry coconut muffins are quickly rising above plain banana, chocolate chip and others.
Not only are they delicious, moist and full of flavor, they’re also healthy! That makes them five stars in my book. It also means you can eat two or three, right? Oh wait…I guess that voids the healthy factor!
The other thing I love about this recipe is that you can easily sub out ingredients, depending on what you have on hand. Try any kind of berry, using a different variety of milk or omit coconut if it’s not your favorite. I love coconut, so that’s not a problem here!
Preheat your oven to 400F and line 12 muffins cups.
Let’s start out with all the “normal” dry muffin ingredients:
Go ahead and whisk them all together in a large bowl.
Next, the more fun ingredients in my opinion. The stuff that makes these muffins taste amazing!
Whisk together the coconut oil, egg, coconut milk and banana until smooth.
Mix the wet into the dry and stir until just moistened. It’s important not to over-mix your batter in any recipe that uses leavening such as: bread, cake, muffins, etc. If you do, they end up rather heavy without the desired fluffiness.
Now, we’re going to add the berries.
I used these Sprouts organic mixed berries and they tasted great, but I didn’t love that the berries were so large and I had to chop them. Costco’s frozen mixed berries work much better because they’re already kind of broken up.
Oh, and a note about mixing in the berries. My berries sat in the bowl on the counter for 30 minutes while I took photos for this post. As a result, they thawed a little and made my batter quite pink. Not a big deal, but if you prefer to keep the berries to themselves (so to speak), keep them in the freezer until you’re ready to use them.
Use 3 TBSP ice cream or cookie scoop to put the batter into the muffin cups, filling them 2/3 full. If you don’t have a scoop, you can use a spoon it’s ok. But, I love my scoop! Less mess and all your muffins come out the same size (this way no one can complain that their brother or sister has the bigger one 😉 ). I bought my scoop on amazon.
Pop them in your preheated oven.
Bake them for 16-18 min I would check them at 16 minutes. They’re done when the toothpick comes out clean.
Let them cool and try not to eat them all before your family wakes up! You’re going to love these! They’re perfect for a Mother’s day brunch, an after-school snack or when family comes into town.
- Dry Ingredients:
- 1½ c whole wheat flour
- ¾ c sugar
- ½ t salt
- 2 t baking powder
- ¼ c shredded coconut
- Wet Ingredients:
- ⅓ c melted, slightly cooled, coconut oil
- 1 egg
- ⅓ c coconut milk (fat content doesn't matter here)
- ½ c mashed very ripe banana
- 2 c chopped frozen mixed berries
- Preheat oven to 400F. Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners.
- In large bowl or stand mixer with paddle attachment, mix together all dry ingredients.
- In medium mixing bowl, whisk together all the wet ingredients EXCEPT the berries.
- Stir wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until moistened.
- Lightly stir in mixed berries.
- Using 3 T ice cream/cookie scoop, scoop batter into each muffin cup; about ⅔ full.
- Bake in preheated oven 16-18 min, or until golden and toothpick comes out clean.
- Allow to cool slightly and serve.
This particular tradition began a few years after we decided to have a more Christ-centered Christmas, but it starts the earliest in the season, so I’m listing it first. A friend gave me a little white felt stocking to hang on the tree for Jesus. We decided to use that stocking for more than just decoration. Instead, each year on December 1st begins our month of giving. Strips of paper and pens sit under our Christmas tree. Each time one of us does something kind as the Savior would, we anonymously write it down on a strip of paper, fold it up and put it in the stocking. Our goal is to fill the stocking with good deeds by December 24th. On Christmas day, we read all of the ways we showed Christ-like love and kindness that month. It’s a continual reminder of who we are as God’s children and the kindness and love shown to us by God and his Son.
For children, Christmas is often all about presents and what gifts they’ll be receiving. We really wanted our kids to understand that Christmas is about giving and not getting. So each December, we take our kids to a local thrift store and let them pick out a gift for their siblings. At first, we were paying for the gifts, but now they use their allowance to choose something small, but meaningful for their brother or sister. They look forward to sneaking through the store, trying to make sure the others don’t see what they’re choosing. Often, they choose things like games, puzzles, books or yarn. Then on Christmas morning, Mr. Maven has them give the gifts they’ve chosen to their siblings first before they open their own gifts, so they can experience the joy that comes from giving. This is my favorite! Is it sappy that I’m getting teary just thinking about this moment?
Now, I realize this isn’t something unique to us. I know a lot of Christian families do this. It’s always kind of hectic getting all of the “
Before we open any gifts at all or read the good deeds from the white stocking, we set the mood for the day. Our church put out a short video years ago called 
Mr. Maven and I were newlyweds when I made this recipe for the first time. Our Bishop’s wife (like a pastor or priest, but unpaid) gave all of us newbie’s a little recipe book of her family’s favorites. When I served these cookies and dip after a dinner party one night, I received rave reviews. Our guests couldn’t stop eating them! Right then and there I decided these gingersnaps with pumpkin dip had to be a fall tradition. They’re magical!
Now, these cookies do take a little time to make because you have to refrigerate the dough for an hour before rolling it into balls. So, plan ahead. They’re so worth it!
Cinnamon, ginger, cloves, molasses & pumpkin. All the incredible cozy, warm, sweet flavors of fall.
These cookies are not thick, which sometimes can be a deal-breaker for me. Not so with these babies. Lightly rolling them in sugar gives them that crisp, crunchy edge and they’re perfectly chewy in the middle. If you like them crispy all the way through, try baking them 2 minutes longer.
I tried not eating any because I felt like I was coming down with something and sugar isn’t so great for you on the best of days. Sigh…I didn’t win the battle and I had one.
I had to eat the ones that were in the pumpkin dip because they would go soggy. Oh, and the one I took the bite out of for the photo. Oops!
