Recipe: Chocolate chip coconut banana muffins

Overripe bananas at my house just about always mean I'm making muffins. And while nuts might be a traditional add-in for banana muffins or bread, I like to mix it up. I've used dried cranberries, raisins, fresh blueberries, currants, dates and butterscotch chips. But the favorite always is this duo: chocolate chips and coconut.

At this point, I can whip up a batch of these - from start to fully baked muffins - in about 30 minutes. I start with a basic buttermilk banana muffin recipe. From there, I add in whatever I have on hand. These are perfect for breakfasts and lunch boxes.

1/4 cup sweetened coconut flakes

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Spray your muffin tin with nonstick spray. This will make about 12 regular-sized muffins or about two dozen mini muffins.

In a large bowl, mix together all of the dry ingredients - flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

In another bowl, beat the egg, mash the banana and combine them with the oil, buttermilk and vanilla extract. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until it is just combined. Be careful not to over stir.

Then, fold in the 1/2 cup of add-ins. For coconut chocolate chip muffins, I use about 1/4 cup chips and 1/4 cup sweetened coconut flakes.

Pour the batter into your muffin tin. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes for regular-sized muffins. Bake for about 10 minutes for mini muffins.