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Back to School Snacks - Healthy Choco-Chip Coconut Muffins

Hey, Cobb County Parents! It's back to school for the kiddos on Monday. Ready or not it's time for reading, writing, arithmetic and snacks! It is a long, long day for them starting from Kindergarten onward. A good morning snack can take them a long way. While there are a lot of nutrient-packed ready-made snacks available at your local grocer, there's lots of quick and easy ways to make a snack for them to enjoy.

One of my favorites is muffins. They take almost no time and I often make them to use up fruit that's about to go off, especially bananas. The following Choco-Chip Coconut recipe doesn't use any fruit but it is packed with flavor and fiber, which will make their taste buds happy and their bellies full through lunchtime.

 Choco-Chip Coconut Muffins
Makes 12

 Ingredients
  • 1/2 cup canola oil
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup flour
  • 1/2 cup buckwheat flour (sub, quick oats)
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • 1/2 cup unsweeted shaved coconut
  • Optional: 1 tablespoon cinnamon - gives the muffins a little ZING
Method
  • Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
  • Grease a 12-muffin tin or use liners.
  • In large bowl mix the flour, buckwheat flour, baking powder and sugar. Set aside. If you want to add cinnamon add it to this dry mixture now.
  • In a small bowl mix the eggs, milk and oil.
  • Pour the wet mixture into the flour mixture and stir by hand until it's all worked together.
  • Pour in the chocolate chips and coconut and stir into the batter.
  • Bake for 20-25 minutes.
  • Enjoy!
The buckwheat flour will make the batter brown. This color will remain.
Don't worry. It's delicious!

These muffins can be frozen, too. I'd suggest freezing them for
no longer than a month so they don't get freezer burn.



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