Why this Lemon Coconut Muffins recipe?
Lemon Coconut Muffins are a must make muffin recipe especially perfect for the sunny early evening of a warm summer’s day. What a treat to relax with! Lemon and coconut snuggled up together in soft, rich and moist muffins. What’s not to like? The clarifying citrus tang from the freshly squeezed lemon juice and the grated lemon zest, tumbles over the moist shredded coconut. Hmmm, a heavenly relationship…yum!
What a perfect combination – lemon and coconut is always a winner. This fantastic muffin recipe is a genuine healthy option but it doesn’t compromise on taste or texture one little bit! Try it, you’ll fall in love with them and feel healthier in the process!
When these special little friends come out of the oven, you’ll have to fight yourself to even let them cool down. They just look so soft and appetising – with a liberal sprinkle of toasted coconut on top, they are irresistible!
All good things start with ‘C’ – Coffee, Chocolate and Coconut!
Healthy muffin recipe option
This gluten free and refined sugar free muffin recipe is suitable for those suffering from allergies and food intolerance. Just because you have an allergy doesn’t mean that you cannot have the sweet treat you crave for. In Bakabee world, there is always a solution!
Honest review of Lemon Coconut Muffins
And even if you don’t have any allergies or food intolerance, I’m quite certain that you will enjoy these muffins too – just asked my home review expert consultant (my sweet toothed, cake loving, husband):
‘It’s so delicious and perfect for breakfast because it’s not too sweet. I really like the combination of lemon and coconut and that chewy texture on the outside is really moreish!’
What ingredients do I use?
1. Flour
Flour is one of the essential ingredients when it comes to baking. Just as in my earlier muffin recipe – Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins (Gluten Free & Refined Sugar Free) – I use Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1 to 1 Baking Flour. I can say it is so good because, as the name suggests, 1 to 1, I do not need to do any calculations to convert from normal all-purpose flour to gluten free flour. You do not need to worry about how much flour you need to use for a gluten free recipe. For example, if the recipe says 190g all-purpose flour, you can measure exactly that amount of 1 to 1 gluten free flour into the recipe.
So there you are … gluten-free muffins! It’s that easy and the taste is fabulous.
2. Baking Powder
Baking powder is also another ingredient you need to be careful about if you are very sensitive to gluten. Not all the baking powder is gluten-free, so in this recipe, I use Bob’s Red Mill Double Acting Baking Powder, this is gluten-free to ensure to get the job done!
If you don’t have serious food intolerance problem, you can just use the normal baking powder instead.
3. Coconut Sugar
There are two reasons why I use coconut sugar in this recipe.
Firstly, coconut sugar is widely viewed as a healthier alternative to refined sugar. It’s because it has a lower glycemic index (GI) which tracks how foods affect blood glucose levels. Foods with low GI values are digested and metabolized at a slower rate, prompting smaller fluctuations in blood glucose and insulin levels, and reducing the risk of diseases like type 2 diabetes.
Secondly, I really like the mild flavour of coconut sugar and it doesn’t make my bakes too sweet (which not everyone likes). I find the sweetness from coconut sugar is different, it adds a deeper flavour to the muffins rather than just sweetness.
4. Lemon Extract
In order to enhance the lemon flavour, I added 1 teaspoon of lemon extract. Remember to use a high quality one. Try to avoid using an artificial one because it will completely affect the taste of the cake. This is the lemon extract I use in this recipe. You can easily find it in baking supply shops.
Keeping and freezing
The best taste of muffins is to eat them while they are still warm from the oven. However, they can keep in an airtight container for up to 3 days and frozen for up to 3 months.
Wrap cold muffins individually in a foil and place in a freezer bag, expelling as much air as possible or pressing the bag gently.
To thaw muffins in a conventional oven, place foil-wrapped muffins in a single layer on an oven tray, at between 165°C and 175°C for around 20 minutes or until heated through.
Reminder
If you or your family have any sort of special diets, please READ the product labels first to MAKE SURE the ingredients are suitable for you and your family to eat.
4 simple steps to make these lemon coconut muffins
Mix
Mix
Add
Bake
Lemon Coconut Muffins (Gluten Free & Refined Sugar Free)
INGREDIENTS
- 1 pc lemon zest
- 1 pc lemon juice ((around 60ml))
- 95 g coconut sugar
- 1/2 cup shredded coconut
- 310 g gluten free 1 to 1 baking flour
- 2 tsp baking powder (gluten free)
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 pc large eggs
- 57 g unsalted butter (melted and cooled)
- 4 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 tsp lemon extract
- 250 ml milk
- 2 tbsp shredded coconut (sprinkle on top (optional))
INSTRUCTIONS
- Pre-heat the oven to 170°C. Line the muffin tin with some liners, or use oil spray, or use a brush to brush some butter into each hole to avoid the muffins sticking.
- Melt the butter in a small saucepan in a low heat. Be careful do not burn the butter. Set aside and let it cool completely.
- Grate the lemon zest and squeeze the lemon juice. Set aside.
- In a mixing bowl, sift the flour, add the shredded coconut, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Mix well. Set aside.
- In another bowl, mix the coconut sugar and the lemon zest.
- Add the eggs, melted butter, vegetable oil, milk, lemon juice and lemon extract into the coconut sugar mixture. Mix well.
- Then add the flour mixture into the wet ingredients. Gently mix them until all well combined.
- Use an ice cream scoop to evenly divide the batter into the muffin tins.
- Before putting in the oven, sprinkle with some shredded coconut. Bake them for around 15-20 minutes, depending on your oven. Test by inserting a skewer which will come out clean when they are done.
NOTES
- Read the blog post for additional information for the ingredients I choose for this recipe.
- Also, there is some additional information on how to store and freeze the muffins.
- If you do not have any food allergy or intolerance, you could consider the following replacement:
NUTRITION
Bake these Lemon Coconut Muffins
Give this recipe a try! Let’s me know how they turn out!
More tasty recipes for your next bakes
- Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins (Gluten Free & Refined Sugar Free) (video tutorial) – a guilt-free tasty snack to treat yourself
- Healthy Savoury Sweetcorn and Carrot Muffins (Gluten Free & Dairy Free) – a perfect go-to meal
- Banana Walnut Cake (video tutorial) – one-bowl easy cake for you
Thanks so much for stopping by! Hope you will enjoy this recipe.
If you’ve tried my Lemon Coconut Muffins (Gluten Free & Refined Sugar Free) recipe, please feel free to leave me a comment and let me know what you thought. The more we chat the more I know what recipes I should be making and sharing. If you have any recipe suggestions I would also love to hear them.
Rating the recipe once you’ve made this Lemon Coconut Muffins (Gluten Free & Refined Sugar Free) may also help other readers decide whether to make my bakes, so I would love it if you could come back and let everyone know what you think.
Happy baking!
This Post Has 2 Comments
Looks like a lovely recipe. I don’t like too sweet things so this seems like a great treat with the coconut and all. Thank you
Thank you so much for your feedback, Katie! I’m happy that you like it!