Banana Coconut Muffins

The week before Christmas and the kitchen is in full production. I have been baking every day — not because the calendar demands it but because December baking is the deepest form of worship I know. The house smells like cinnamon and vanilla and butter, which are the three ingredients of holiness, in my opinion, and my opinion is the only one that matters in this kitchen.

Monday was cookie day. I made tea cakes — the old-fashioned Southern kind, soft and simple, just butter, sugar, eggs, flour, vanilla, and a little nutmeg. Mama made tea cakes every December of my childhood, and the recipe has not changed because perfection does not need improving. I made five dozen and distributed them through the neighborhood in foil-wrapped plates because Christmas cookies are a currency of love, and I am a wealthy woman in tea cakes.

Tuesday was pie day. Two more sweet potato pies and a coconut cake that is technically not a pie but required an entire day of attention because coconut cake is a demanding dessert. The coconut has to be fresh — I crack the coconut myself with a hammer in the garage, which Calvin finds alarming and Marcus finds entertaining and which I find necessary because canned coconut is a compromise I refuse to make at Christmas. The cake has three layers, coconut cream filling, and a frosting made with cream cheese and more coconut, and when it is done it looks like a snowball and tastes like the reason December exists.

Calvin's Christmas Eve service is Thursday, which means the church kitchen needs to be ready for the fellowship reception afterward. I have planned hot chocolate, coffee, tea cakes, pound cake, fruit and cheese, and a wassail that simmers in the crockpot and fills the fellowship hall with the smell of cinnamon and cloves. The wassail is my contribution to the festive spirit, and it is non-alcoholic because this is an AME church and the only spirits we serve are the Holy kind.

Marcus has been wrapping gifts in his room with the door closed, which is how I know he bought me something and is trying to keep it secret, which is sweet and unnecessary because I already know what it is — a new apron. Destiny told me. Destiny cannot keep a secret to save her life, which is both her weakness and her charm, and when I open that apron on Christmas morning I will be surprised because a mother who loves her children fakes surprise as an act of love, and love is the only performance that matters.

After a week of cracking coconuts in the garage and layering three-tiered cakes that look like snowballs, I needed something that carried all that coconut joy without asking quite so much of me. These banana coconut muffins are what I make when the big holiday production is done and the kitchen still smells like Christmas — they are quick, they are forgiving, and that toasted coconut on top is a little echo of the cake that made Tuesday worth every hour. Make a batch for Christmas morning before anyone else is awake; you will feel like the wealthiest person on the block.

Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 20 minutes | Total Time: 30 minutes | Servings: 12 muffins

Ingredients

3 ripe bananas, mashed (about 1 1/2 cups)
1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg, beaten
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sweetened shredded coconut, divided
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Instructions

Preheat and prep. Preheat your oven to 375°F. Line a standard 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners or grease lightly with butter.
Mash the bananas. In a large mixing bowl, mash the ripe bananas thoroughly with a fork until smooth. A few small lumps are fine and add texture.
Combine the wet ingredients. Stir the melted butter into the mashed bananas. Mix in the sugar, beaten egg, and vanilla extract until everything is well combined.
Add the dry ingredients. Sprinkle the baking soda, salt, and nutmeg over the banana mixture and stir to combine. Fold in the flour until just incorporated — do not overmix or the muffins will be tough.
Fold in the coconut. Reserve about 3 tablespoons of the shredded coconut for topping, then fold the remainder into the batter gently.
Fill the muffin cups. Divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups, filling each about 3/4 full. Sprinkle the reserved coconut over the tops of each muffin.
Bake. Bake for 18 to 22 minutes, until the tops are golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. The coconut on top should be lightly toasted.
Cool and serve. Allow the muffins to cool in the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Nutrition (per serving)

Banana Coconut Muffins — A Little Taste of the Snowball Cake That Started It All