Breakfast Muffins Fit for Dessert

Sunday was a double-hitter in the kitchen. We hosted our home church meeting and had friends stay for lunch afterwards. I was feeling adventurous (the night before of course, since I "come alive" in the evening) and tried two new recipes for these occasions. For breakfast at church, I made two kinds of muffins, Strawberry Banana and Chocolate Coconut. For lunch, I threw together a Sweet and Savory Sausage & Rice Soup. The strawberry-banana muffins were just ok in my opinion. Some people loved them. But the chocolate ones? Whoa. We will come back to that. All of these recipes I sort of invented. Now with me and experimenting in the kitchen, usually things turn out ok, but every once in awhile they don't, so trying new things for guests may not always the best idea, right? I usually push this thought to the back of my mind and go for it. In this case, everything was met with raving reviews. (Phew!)

Back to the Chocolate Coconut muffins. I doubled the recipe so we would have enough to serve the group- which means we have quite a few left over. I cannot eat just one. I have tried. They are addicting. There is something SO chocolatey, moist, subtly sweet, something so DELICIOUS about them that they beckon you after you've finished the first.

I will try to recall what exactly went into the batch- I did a lot of revising the following morning after they got a bit dry overnight in the fridge.

*************************

Chocolate Coconut Muffins

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups hazelnut coconut milk coffee creamer (I happened to have this on hand due to finding it on sale at a discount store. If you can't find it (very likely), substitute non-coconut-milk creamer or unsweetened coconut milk).
1/2 c. sugar (adjust to taste if you are using sweetened creamer)
1/2 c. Dutch-process cocoa powder
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup shredded coconut
1/3 c. unsweetened applesauce
1 egg
1/4 c. coconut oil OR other veg/canola oil
1 tsp. vanilla extract
 2 T. milk or more to right consistency
1/2 c. dark chocolate chips (I used Ghiradelli)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, stir together dry ingredients and coconut.

In a separate bowl or liquid measuring cup, combine coconut milk/creamer, egg, applesauce, milk, and vanilla. Add the wet ingredients to dry, mix just until combined. At this point if you are using coconut oil you will add it. If you add it to cold ingredients it will solidify, something we want to avoid (although it will melt again in the oven, obviously). Fold in the chocolate chips.

Bake for 20-25 minutes in a greased muffin pan until centers are done when tested.

I will be making these again! Thanks for tuning in.. If you make them, let me know how they turn out!