new year, new muffins.

my new year's resolution for 2012 was to cook with unfamiliar ingredients. one of the ingredients i tried and got addicted to was coconut oil. i bought my mom a jar a few months ago, and over the holidays she asked me how and when to cook with it. now, i'm no expert on all of its various uses, but i really enjoy it as butter substitute in baking. it's far from a neutral oil, so you have to be craving that coconut-y flavor. fortunately, if you're anything like me, the more you use it, the more you'll want it. in everything.

i decided to try my hand at these coconut chocolate chip muffins yesterday to show my mom the joys of baking with coconut oil. they turned out fantastically moist and flavorful. i used equal parts coconut flour and almond meal, which makes them gluten free. i replaced the eggs with bananas, which makes them vegan. and i threw in a generous amount of chocolate chips and a light dusting on turbinado sugar at the end, making them delicious and slightly decadent. i won't tell you how and when to eat your muffins, but i will say that in addition to being a perfect morning coffee accompaniment, they also wouldn't be bad crumbled over some vanilla ice cream. hypothetically, of course.

coconut chocolate chip muffins
adapted from comfy belly

1/4 cup coconut flour

1/4 cup almond meal

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

2 super ripe bananas, mashed

1/2 cup maple syrup

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1/3 cup coconut oil, melted

1/3 cup chocolate chips

turbinado sugar, for dusting

preheat oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit. combine the dry ingredients together in a medium size bowl. combine wet ingredients in a small bowl. stir wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.

grease a muffin tin and fill each hole about 2/3 of the way full with batter. bake about 10 minutes, then sprinkle some turbinado sugar on top. bake another 10 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. remove, let cool, and enjoy!