Banana Coconut Mochi Muffins

I walked into my kitchen the other day to notice something very unusual on my counter: two ripe bananas were just sitting there, unnoticed in the corner. For someone who usually eats bananas immediately after bringing them home, this was quite a strange occurrence. What was I to do with them?? I had to make something, but since I never have ripe bananas in my kitchen, I had no clue what to cook. My mom’s usual go to recipe is classic banana bread, so I thought, why not give it a shot? But of course, I added my own little touch and used mochi flour instead.

What’s great about these muffins is they are completely gluten free, but you wouldn’t know it from tasting them. They are still light and fluffy with all the goodness of a muffin, but none of the wheat. The trick to getting the great muffin texture is adding some coconut to transform the texture! Overall it makes a sweet, moist, and not too springy muffin, and as a bonus, the coconut beautifully complements the banana flavor. Just using mochi flour alone results in a springy, marshmallow like pastry, which is good, but not exactly what you want when biting into a muffin. Unless that is what you want, then by all means leave the coconut out!

All in all, I was really surprised at how great these muffins turned out. So was my husband, who had no idea they were made with mochi flour and asked me to make more. For someone who never asks for sweets, I was very surprised!

So, if you’re wondering what else you can use mochi flour for besides mochi, here’s an easy muffin recipe to try!

Recipe – Banana Coconut Mochi Muffins:

– Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

– Using a spoon, gently mash the banana in a small bowl until smooth.

– Whisk the eggs in a separate bowl, then mix in the banana, melted butter and milk.

– In a large bowl, mix together the mochiko flour, baking powder and sugar until blended. Add in the wet ingredients and stir until combined. Lastly, mix in the coconut and nuts (if using them) and stir until mixed.

– Line a muffin pan with paper liners. Fill each muffin cup 3/4 of the way, then sprinkle with additional coconut flakes for topping. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes, or until the top is golden.