Banana Coconut Streusel Muffins

The coconut streusel is a great addition to this moist banana muffin. Canola oil instead of butter is used in the recipe, so I can convince myself that this is a "healthy snack". The streusel is rubbed in by hand and the batter simply requires a hand whisk to mix all the ingredients together. It's a great recipe to do with kids and the results are so satisfying.

If you love coconut and crunchy streusel like me, double the streusel quantities so it completely covers the top of the muffin. Just be sure not to fill the muffin cups more than halfway, otherwise the streusel will fall off as the batter rises.

Recipe adapted from The Perfect Finish by Bill Yosses

Makes 9 standard size muffins

Ingredients
Streusel Quantities here are doubled the original recipe
1 cup dry grated unsweetened coconut
4 packed tablespoons light brown sugar
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour, plus additional for muffin tin
4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, sliced
Pinch of salt

Muffin
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 cup neutral oil I used canola oil
3/4 cup mashed overriped bananas, about 2 small, 170g
1/4 cup whole milk
1 large egg, at room temperature, lightly beaten


Steps
1. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350F. Lightly grease nine cups of a standard muffin tin with oil or nonstick cooking spray, then dust them with flour, or use ungreased paper muffin cups.

2. To make the streusel, in a bowl stir together the coconut, brown sugar, flour, and a pinch of salt. Add the butter and rub the mixture together with your fingers or a pastry cutter until you have large crumbles about the size of a pea. Set aside.

3. In a large bowl, whisk together the remaining cup of flour, the granulated sugar, baking powder, and the remaining 1/8 teaspoon salt.

4. In a small bowl, stir together the 1.4 cup of oil with the mashed bananas, milk and egg until they are well combined. Add the banana mixture to the flour mixture and stir until just combined.

5. Using an ice cream scoop, fill the prepared muffin cups halfway. Top the muffins with streusel, diving the streusel evenly among the muffins. Fill the three empty cups halfway with tap water to prevent the muffin tins from warping. Bake the muffins on the center rack until they rise and are golden and bounce back when pressed, about 30 minutes. Let cool in the tin for about 15 minutes and serve warm.

Leftovers can be wrapped in foil and stored in the refrigerator for up to 4 days, then re-warmed in a 350F oven for 10 minutes before serving.


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