Friday Food: Coconut Rough Muffins

I remember eating Golden Roughs as a child. They were milk chocolate and toasted coconut, shaped into a disc. It seemed quite big then, bigger than the palm of my hand, but since I haven't seen them for years, I expect they were much smaller. The toasted coconut ever so slightly poked up through the chocolate top. They were delicious. The new May Delicious has a no-waste cupcake/muffin baking section. MrsDrWho, who once thought she didn't like coconut, actually does. As she is on school holidays, I decided to bake some Coconut Rough muffins.

Serendipitously, I had everything except the shredded coconut, which was the no-waste item, and now I have left over shredded coconut which I need to use up: coconut inception!!!!

I followed the recipe exactly, although it made 16 rather than 12 muffins. I measure out cupcakes and muffins with an old-fashioned ice-cream scoop which I think is 1/4 cup. A cupcake is a cupcake, and I prefer to make 16 smaller, instead of 12 overflowing, cakes.

I can't taste the muffins, because they are chocolate, but they smell delicious. Oh and they are so easy to make, you can make them even if you are still recovering from a never ending cold.

 

 

Coconut Rough Muffins     makes 12-16

 

• 300g self-raising flour
• 175g caster sugar
• 70g shredded coconut
• 25g cocoa, I used Dutch processed cocoa
• pinch of salt
• 50g dark chocolate, chopped
• 375ml buttermilk
• 165ml sunflower oil
• 1 egg

For the icing/ganache:

• 150g dark chocolate, chopped
• 125ml thickened cream
• extra coconut for sprinkling

 

Preheat the oven to 180*C and line one or two muffin trays with paper cases: if you have two trays you can bake all the muffins at once, swapping and turning the trays half way through the baking time to help them cook evenly.

Put the flour, sugar, coconut, cocoa, salt and the 50g of chopped chocolate into a large bowl and whisk to smooth any lumps and combine.

In another bowl or jug combine the buttermilk, oil and egg. Again, whisk till combined. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and add the wet. In hindsight I should have used a larger bowl. No matter. Mix gently to combine. Some people only mix their muffins 20 times, eg, I just mix them until all the ingredients come together and no more. It is important not to over-mix muffin batter.

Scoop the mixture into the paper cases and bake for 22 minutes. They are cooked when a skewer poked into the centre comes out clean. This is a very good recipe because I set an alarm for 22 minutes on my Ipad, and they were perfectly baked in the time allowed.

Leave for a few minutes in the tray and then remove to a cooling rack until they are completely cold.

To make the icing, which is chocolate ganache, put the 150g of chopped chocolate into a bowl and heat the cream to almost boiling point: I use the microwave. Pour the cream over the chocolate, cover and leave for a minute and then stir until smooth. When the ganache is cold, spread over the muffins and top with a little of the shredded coconut.

Perfect.

Comments

[Linda Spawr]

Cindy, these look delicious. I think even I could manage them as soon as I purchase some buttermilk.
You are always so kind to share with your friends. I love the chocolate-coconut combination.

Happy Baking. Happy Knitting. Happy Dog Loving.

[Kristen Chambers]

Coconut and chocolate? I am so there.

[Kate]

You've done it again Cindy - I want to make these delicious-sounding morsels!

I hope that your never-ending cold is coming to an end :/

[Lois]

Yum! I used to love golden roughs as well. Haven't had one for years. I may have to remedy that in the near future!