Piña Colada Mini Muffins

by Megg

Do you like piña coladas… but hate that stupid song?  Well, I do, and I’m sorry in advance if it’s stuck in your head while you read this, as it was stuck in my head when I made these muffins.  And yeah, writing this popped it back into my head.  Sigh… the things we must go through for tasty food!

I was doing a bit of shopping the other day and thought about making some mini muffins for quick breakfasts on-the-go.  I picked up a mango and ginger (thinking “mango ginger mini muffins”) but when I got home I realized I had crushed pineapple in the fridge that I had to use up.  So I switched gears, and decided piña colada mini muffins were in order.


I have this wonderful book called Ratio: The Simple Codes Behind the Craft of Everyday Cooking by Michael Ruhlman.  Though it does have some simple recipes, it’s more of a reference book than a cookbook.  In it, Ruhlman talks about the basic ratios that make up the recipes we make all the time.  Knowing and applying these ratios can free you from recipes and encourage creativity.  I’m still pretty reliant on recipes when I cook, at least as a basis.  As time goes on I deviate more and more from these recipes (and now, having a blog, I have to takes notes of what I do!).  This time around, I decided to skip looking up recipes to fit my ideas and go straight to the ratio and do the rest on my own!
The ratio that Ruhlman gives for muffins is 2 parts flour : 2 parts liquid : 1 part egg : 1 part butter.  I tried to stay pretty close to this ratio when creating this recipe, though it’s not quite so black-and-white.  I used crushed pineapple as the liquid (even though it’s not a pure liquid), egg whites instead of whole eggs, less butter because of the oil in the coconut, etc.  A lot of this was also because I was trying to make a lighter, slightly more healthy muffin.  Also, I really need to get a gram scale; it’s so much more accurate for measurements, and I could apply the ratio more exactly. But I didn’t check out any other recipe, nor have I ever made these kind of muffins before, so the ratio did what it’s intended to do.  With the foundation it provided, I could be as creative as I wanted with everything else.

Piña Colada Mini Muffins
Makes 24 mini muffins*

  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/3 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
  • 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons dark rum (or 2/3 teaspoon rum extract)
  • 2 egg whites
  • 4 tablespoons (half a stick) of butter, melted (and browned, if you like)
  • 1 cup crushed pineapple (with the juice)
  • Extra shredded coconut for topping (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350° F.


2. Mix flour, salt, and baking powder in a medium bowl.  Add brown sugar and coconut and stir until blended.


3. In a separate large bowl, whisk together rum, egg whites, and melted butter.  Stir in crushed pineapple with juice.  Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until just blended.


4. Prepare a mini muffin pan (grease it lightly if it’s not non-stick, or add mini muffin cups if you wish).  Evenly distribute the batter into the pan.


5. Bake the muffins for 20 minutes or until they’re a nice golden color and you can stick a toothpick in the center of a muffin without crumbs sticking to it.  If you wish, you can quickly pull the muffins out after about 10 minutes and sprinkle each with a little extra shredded coconut for a nice topping, and then return pan to the oven for the rest of the baking time.


*This same recipe will make 12 regular-sized muffins, but you may have to adjust the baking  time so keep an eye on ’em.


The muffins came out beautifully, and had a great light n’ fluffy texture.  They aren’t super sweet, which is what I was going for (I hate it when muffins are as sweet as cupcakes) but if you want a bit more (which frankly, would be closer to a piña colada) just add some sugar.  I would suggest adding a 1/4 cup of regular sugar in addition to the dark brown sugar (I used the brown sugar to enhance the rum flavor).  You could also use sweetened shredded coconut instead of unsweetened.

 

 

These little guys are perfect for a quick snack or breakfast when you’re running out the door.  They’d also be perfect for bentos, although in my case they disappeared so quickly I didn’t even get to put them in a lunch!


I’m definitely going to explore the book more and try using ratios over detailed recipes more often.  What do you prefer?  How do you use recipes, if at all, and when do you let your creativity run wild?


  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/09901936331527450362 Mommyof2girlz

    Could it be? My favorite drink in a muffin…so awesome! I will defiantly be making this very soon, thanks tons for sharing!

  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/17219875290791522802 Megg

    Let me know how it goes when you try it out! Glad you enjoyed the post!

  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/03608484496354584828 Bentobird

    oh, fantastic Megg! I love tropical flavors and must try these…beautiful tempting photos, as always!

  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/17219875290791522802 Megg

    Thanks Jenn… these remind me of summer.. just as summer is ending. I guess this is my way of resisting. :)

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