Banana, Coconut, Pecan Muffins

• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 overripe bananas (works best if they’ve been frozen and then thawed)
• 1 stick (1/2 cup) butter melted and cooled a little
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 cup sweetened shredded coconut
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans

1. Preheat oven to 375. Prepare a non stick muffin tin with baking spray. You can use muffin liners but they won’t be as crusty and carmelized on the outside.
2. Whisk together flour, baking powder and salt in a small bowl and set aside
3. In large mixing bowl, mash banana and mix with sugar, butter, egg, vanilla, and coconut.
4. Fold dry ingredients into wet until well moistened.
5. Fill muffin cups 2/3 of the way. This should fill 6-7 muffin cups.
6. Top with chopped pecans.
7. Bake for 22-25 minutes until puffed and golden.
8. Let cool on wire rack 5-10 minutes before eating. Enjoy plain or with butter

I make these all the time. My husband loves them, and we always have extra bananas at the end of the week. I freeze the bananas the night before and take them out the next morning. You can pinch the ends open and squeeze out the banana into the bowl, and it mashes itself while you stir everything in.

We keep the pecans on top because they get nicely toasted while baking and taste so much better than when mixed in.

I never use muffin liners because the outside gets beautifully brown, and it’s so much tastier. Like seriously better. If you don’t have baking spray, you can use a think swipe of Crisco (I always keep a small container of Crisco for using in cake or casserole pans). I do this for cupcakes, too.

All in all, it takes no more than 10 minutes to mix. Very easy and low effort. Happy baking.