Tropical Mango-Pineapple-Coconut Muffins

These luscious muffins pack the sweet and juicy flavors of island life into a cakey donut-like treat that’s also an excellent source of whole grains, vitamin C, and vitamin A. Macadamia nuts add fiber, protein, and iron.

YIELD| 12 muffins (or 24 mini muffins)
PREP| 5-7 minutes
BAKE| 20-25 minutes (14-18 minutes for mini muffins)
STORAGE| 2-3 days in sealed container on countertop; 2 months frozen in freezer bag

Ingredients
2 c. Whole Grain Baking Mix
1 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
2 tbsp. unsalted butter, room temperature
1/3 c. honey*
3/4 c. mango puree
2 large eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
1 (8-oz.) can crushed pineapple, undrained (with 100% juice, no syrup or sweeteners)
1 c. shredded coconut or coconut flakes
1/2 c. chopped macadamia nuts (optional)**

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly mist muffin pans with canola oil spray.
2. In a small bowl, combine Baking Mix, nutmeg, and ginger. Mix well and set aside.
3. In a medium mixing bowl, cream together butter and honey until smooth. Mix in mango puree. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Stir in pineapple and coconut.
4. Add Baking Mix mixture and stir just until combined.
5. Spoon batter into prepared muffin pan, filling each cup about 3/4 full. Sprinkle chopped nuts over tops, as desired.

6. Bake as directed above, or until tops are golden and toothpick inserted in center comes out with just a few crumbs. Cool in pan 5-10 minutes. Run a sharp knife around edges, then transfer muffins to a cooling rack to cool completely before serving.

VARIATION| If your family doesn’t like the flavor of mango, try using apricot, butternut squash, or pumpkin puree to maintain the vitamin A in this recipe, or replace with banana puree or applesauce for a more pina colada flavored muffin.

ALLERGY ALERT| Macadamia nuts or coconut may cause allergic reaction in babies/children with family history of nut allergy or other food allergies. Use caution when introducing macadamia nuts, as they pose a choking hazard, and don’t try to add them until baby is at least 24 months old.
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6-8 MONTHS| Mango puree or diced mango only (no muffin!). Click here for more mango serving ideas for this age.

9-11 MONTHS|
*Replace honey with apple juice concentrate. Never serve honey to babies younger than 12 months.

Omit coconut and macadamia nuts.

12 MONTHS to 2 YEARS|
**Finely shredded coconut is preferable at this age to avoid choking. Alternately, omit coconut or chop it prior to stirring into batter.

Omit macadamia nuts

If you like this recipe and want more like it (plus lots of variety for using the Whole Grain Baking Mix!) grab yourself a copy of my cookbook, which includes these muffins plus over 30 other recipes that all use the baking mix for convenience!