Pineapple Orange Coconut Muffins

My baking friends, Zoe of Bake for Happy Kids and Doreen of My Little Favourite DIY are hosting the Little Thumbs Up event and the theme for the month is Pineapple. It's a great theme for February as this is Chinese New Year month and pineapples are an auspicious fruit to have during this time. 

I am getting a little tired of making CNY cookies so instead of pineapple tarts, I decided to try out other pineapple recipes and came across a easy to make pineapple muffin. The original recipe uses lemon zest but I thought lemons and pineapples seem a little weird together and it may be too tart . 

I wanted a refreshing but lighter flavour as well as tropical touch to these muffins so I substituted the lemon for orange and added in some dessicated coconut bits.  The result was a light and fluffy muffins full of tropical flavours - the bites of  pineapple was refreshing while the coconut added a little crunch. 

I only used half the amount of sugar recommended below and the muffin was not very sweet - just the way I prefer it. I also made a glaze using a little orange juice and icing sugar to make it look more attractive and give it a little more texture. It was delicious warm with a little butter spread over it - made me feel like I was holidaying on a little tropical island far far away. My kids and friends gave the thumbs up for it!

Wishing all my friends a Happy and Prosperous year ahead! 

Pineapple Orange Coconut Muffins (9 muffins)

Recipe adapted from My Gourmet Connection

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 large egg
• 6 tablespoons milk
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon extract (I used orange extract)
• 4 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled
• Zest of 1/2 lemon (1 orange)
• 1 cup fresh pineapple, cut into 1/4 inch pieces
• 1/2 cup of dessicated coconut (optional)

Method

• Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C) . Prepare muffin tins by lightly greasing each cup
• Sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. In a separate bowl, beat the egg, milk and lemon extract until frothy. Add the butter and lemon zest, combine well and stir in the pineapple. Add the mixture to the dry ingredients, combine thoroughly, but don't over mix.
• Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin tins (approximately 1/3 cup each) and bake for 14 to 16 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.

I am submitting this post to Chinese New Year Delights 2013 hosted by Sonia aka Nasi Lemak Lover.