Blueberry, Coconut and White Chocolate Muffins

These are one of my favourite muffin flavour combinations, blueberry and white chocolate are always a match made in heaven but the addition of desiccated coconut raises these muffins up another delicious level. Not only does it add a tasty coconut flavour, it also gives a great texture.

I baked these last week during our stay in the snowy Cairngorms. We had one night camped on a proper campsite, where we had mains electricity {I can only run my oven when we’re plugged into the mains} so I whipped up a small half batch to take with us on a day trip to the local safari park the following day. The recipe below is a full, 12 muffin batch.

As with most muffins, these are super easy, mix the wet, add the dry, stir in the fillings. I usually make them with plain yoghurt but I didn’t have any so I subbed some live raspberry yoghurt instead. It didn’t impart any noticeable flavour, but there were a few raspberry seeds dotted around the baked muffins, just to confuse people!

I’ve made them with frozen blueberries very successfully, making the recipe cheaper when blueberries aren’t in season.

Blueberry, Coconut and White Chocolate Muffins

oven 180 C / gas 4 / 350 F

12 hole muffin pan lined with paper cases

• 85 g {1/3 cup} caster sugar
• 100 ml {1/2 cup} live yoghurt {I used a fruity one}
• 100 ml {a scant 1/2 cup} oil, I used sunflower
• 4 tbsp milk
• 2 free-range eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 100 g {1 cup} unsweetened desiccated coconut plus extra to sprinkle
• 150 g {1 + 1/5 cups} plain flour
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 160 g {1 + 1/2 cups} blueberries
• 100 g {3 + 1/2 ounces} white chocolate chopped into small squares {5mm}

Place the sugar, yoghurt, oil, milk, eggs and vanilla extract into a bowl and beat with a balloon whisk until well mixed and thick.

Stir in the desiccated coconut. Combine the baking powder with the flour then sift  into the batter. Use a metal spoon to stir in it but don’t over-mix. While there is still some unmixed flour add the blueberries and the chopped white chocolate. Give it a few more stirs then share the batter into the lined muffin tin. A large ice-cream scoop makes a perfect measure. Sprinkle the top of each muffin with some more desiccated coconut.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until risen and golden, the coconut on top will be deliciously toasted. Remove from the tin and cool on a wire rack. They are pretty delicious while still warm.

Just look at all that toasty coconut, not to mention those juicy blueberries.