Makes 12 / Nice for breakfast or a tea break. Prep tip: You’ll need two 15-ounce cans of sliced pineapple; each can contains 10 slices. Twelve go into the muffin cups, and eight remaining slices, plus some juice, go into the batter.
Topping
1 teaspoon ground coriander
2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
2 tablespoons finely chopped pecan pieces
12 slices canned pineapple (2 1/2 inches across), such as Native Forest
Muffins
1 1/2 cups whole-wheat pastry flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground coriander
2 eggs
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup pineapple juice (from can)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
8 slices pineapple, diced fine
1 cup grated carrot (1 large)
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup chopped pecans
1. Preheat oven to 400˚. Coat 12 large muffin cups with cooking spray.
2. For the topping, mix coriander with brown sugar and sprinkle evenly inside muffin cups. Add pecans on top of sugar, then press a pineapple ring inside each cup.
3. To prepare muffins: Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and coriander in a large bowl. Whisk eggs and brown sugar in a medium bowl until smooth; add oil, juice, and vanilla. Stir in diced pineapple. Add to dry ingredients and mix with a rubber spatula just until moistened. Stir in carrot, oats, and nuts.
4. Spoon batter into muffin cups. Bake until dry with a toothpick test, 15–20 minutes. Remove from oven and immediately run a paring knife around inside edges of muffin cups to loosen. Invert pan to turn muffins out onto a baking sheet. Restore any topping and loose nuts while they are still hot. Let cool for at least 10 minutes. Serve upside down with pineapple rings displayed.
PER SERVING: 254 cal, 29% fat cal, 9g fat, 1g sat fat, 35mg chol, 3g protein, 43g carb, 4g fiber, 193mg sodium
