Tropical Muffins with Coconut-Macadamia Topping

Most monounsaturated fat in each serving comes from mild-flavored canola oil and rich macadamia nuts. Flaked sweetened coconut is high in saturated fat for a plant food (nearly 94 percent of the fat is saturated), but a little offers nutty flavor to the batter and texture to the topping.

Yield: 1 dozen (serving size: 1 muffin)

Ingredients

• Muffins:
• 1 1/3  cups  all-purpose flour (about 6 ounces)
• 1  cup  regular oats
• 1  teaspoon  baking powder
• 1/2  teaspoon  baking soda
• 1/2  teaspoon  salt
• 1  cup  mashed ripe banana (about 2)
• 1  cup  low-fat buttermilk
• 1/2  cup  packed brown sugar
• 2  tablespoons  canola oil
• 1  teaspoon  vanilla extract
• 1  large egg
• 1/2  cup  canned crushed pineapple in juice, drained
• 1/3  cup  flaked sweetened coconut
• 3  tablespoons  finely chopped macadamia nuts, toasted
• Cooking spray
• 
  Topping:
• 2  tablespoons  flaked sweetened coconut
• 1  tablespoon  finely chopped macadamia nuts
• 1  tablespoon  granulated sugar
• 1  tablespoon  regular oats

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 400°.

2. To prepare muffins, lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour and next 4 ingredients (through salt) in a large bowl. Make a well in center of flour mixture. Combine banana and next 5 ingredients (through egg) in a medium bowl; add to flour mixture, stirring just until moist. Stir in pineapple, 1/3 cup coconut, and 3 tablespoons nuts. Spoon batter into 12 muffin cups coated with cooking spray.

3. To prepare topping, combine 2 tablespoons coconut and the remaining ingredients in a small bowl.

4. Sprinkle about 1 teaspoon of topping over each muffin. Bake at 400° for 18 minutes or until muffins spring back when touched lightly in center. Remove muffins from pans immediately; place on a wire rack.

Nutritional Information

Calories:

205 (29% from fat)

Fat:

6.7g (sat 1.7g,mono 3.4g,poly 1g)

Protein:

4.3g

Carbohydrate:

33.3g

Fiber:

2g

Cholesterol:

19mg

Iron:

1.5mg

Sodium:

215mg

Calcium:

69mg