‘Cocktail’ Muffins
Anytime I taste a tropical flavor, I think of my elementary school years, when I would sing along to the Cocktail soundtrack on my Walkman. If I taste macadamia nuts, I think of the film’s setting in the Caribbean. If I taste coconut, I think of “Kokomo” by the Beach Boys, one of my favorite songs from the film. The connections are unstoppable—and possibly made worse by the fact that I still own, and listen to, the soundtrack.
With the days getting cooler, I decided this would be the perfect time to bust out Tropical Banana Muffins, a.k.a. “Cocktail” Muffins, to bring me back to a beachy setting. Nothing warms up the house more then the smell of fresh baked goods, right out of the oven. Especially when they have a tropical twist: coconut, macadamia, and banana.
Try mixing in all the coconut for more texture, or top the muffins with 1/4 cup of the coconut. Both versions are delicious.
Tropical Banana Muffins
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup margarine, at room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
3 very ripe bananas, mashed
1 tsp. vanilla
Egg replacer equivalent to 1 egg
1 cup coconut
1/4 cup chopped macadamia nuts
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Lightly grease a muffin pan or line with paper liners.
- Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
- In a separate bowl, cream the margarine with the sugar until fluffy. Mix in the bananas, vanilla, egg replacer, 3/4 cup of the coconut, and the macadamia nuts.
- Add the flour mixture in batches and stir until just moistened. Be careful not to overmix.
- Measure evenly into each cup and sprinkle the remaining coconut on top. Bake for 25 minutes, or until golden.
Makes 1 dozen
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