Happy summer in Northern Hemisphere November? Yes! It just snowed in Oxford and I am loving the winter wonderland vibes, but I also miss the comfort of a cocoon of warm sun in July and these muffins absolutely embody that. They’re giant gluten free pineapple coconut muffins and they’re darn magical: fluffy muffins packed with pineapple and with coconut extract, topped with literal pure sunshine in the form of a pineapple coconut glaze. If you’re already car-stuck-in-the-driveway deep in snow and are missing that summer sunshine, these will brighten up your kitchen, guaranteed.
For those of you just joining, we started creating GIANT muffin recipes about 8 months ago after reminiscing over the giant Costco muffins we used to eat (read: devour) as kids prior to getting diagnosed with Celiac. This giant muffin saga has now consumed our every free moment (not really but it’s exciting) and we continue to create new flavors with gusto. Back to the rest of the giant muffins! So far we’ve made these giant poppyseed muffins, giant blueberry muffins, giant chocolate chip muffins, giant double chocolate muffins, giant banana nut muffins, giant strawberry rhubarb muffins, giant apple streusel muffins, these giant lemon raspberry muffins, giant cherry chocolate chip muffins, these giant coffee walnut muffins, these giant pistachio apricot muffins, these giant orange marmalade muffins, these giant zucchini muffins, these giant mango muffins, these giant peach muffins, these giant chocolate zucchini muffins, these giant lavender earl grey muffins, these giant lemon saffron muffins, these giant ube white chocolate muffins, these giant chocolate orange muffins, these giant cinnamon chip muffins, these giant pumpkin chocolate chip muffins, these giant toasted almond muffins, these giant black sesame and white chocolate muffins, these giant carrot cake muffins, these giant chocolate ginger muffins, these giant cranberry orange muffins, and these giant chocolate pear muffins!
Tips for the Summery Giant Gluten Free Pineapple Coconut Muffins:
A few tips for getting these to turn out perfectly:
- Use the right-size of pan! Apparently, Costco keeps their giant muffin pans as a trade secret because we can’t find them ANYWHERE on the internet and you can find EVERYTHING on the internet. Bravo, Costco, for a secret well-kept. However, we’ve found a way to crack the code and gone ahead and just used these brilliant 4-inch cake pans because, after careful inspection, we’ve discovered that Costco muffins are exactly 4-inches in diameter! HA! Take that, Costco-bakery-lords. I never thought I’d be regularly using 4-inch cake pans but here we are. I’ll just need to make a bunch of tiny cake recipes next!
- Don’t over-mix your batter! Muffins need a lot of lift, especially these giant ones, and if you over-mix your batter, you’ll end up with sunken muffins which is no fun.
- Use a good 1-1 gluten free flour mix! We use the Bob’s Red Mill one (the baking mix), though we’ve heard good things about Cup-4-Cup. Here in the UK, I’ve been using the Freee From Dove’s gluten free plain flour mix. We’ve only tested this recipe with this one so if you want them to turn out exactly like ours, we recommend snagging a bag of that specific 1-1 gluten free flour.
- Do NOT open the oven door during baking time. Tape it shut if you have to! You can certainly turn on the oven light and peek and the gloriousness that is a set of rising muffins nearly-ready to be devoured, but do not open that door! Opening the door will immediately lower the oven temp and prohibit your muffins from rising correctly. If you’re in the last few minutes of baking and need to test to see if they’re done, open the oven just a tiny bit and reach in and just tap the top of one – if it springs back it’s done, if it presses in like a foam mattress topper, it’s not and needs a couple more minutes.
- GET THAT GLAZE: glazes are a super easy way to elevate your muffin game. The glazes we use are essentially just powdered sugar and a liquid – in this case, pineapple juice, coconut extract, and melted butter. The key with glazes is getting the consistency right – you want to be able to pour the glaze, so it needs to be able to move a bit, but you don’t want it to just pour off your muffins completely. You want to get to a thicker consistency (it should be a little difficult to stir), that slowly pours when you lift up your stirring spoon. This will ensure that your glaze stays mostly on top of the muffin and that it stays opaque and doesn’t run off in a giant puddle. If your glaze seems to thin and runny, just add more powdered sugar! Vice versa if it seems waaaay too thick and you can’t even get it to pour, add a touch more milk.
- These will keep in an airtight container (or in ziplock baggies) for a week or so – and they freeze REALLY well! So if you want to make a batch and save a bunch, put them in a sturdy plastic container or a freezer plastic bag and pop them in there. Then microwave for about 30-45 seconds (from frozen) before eating! I even like popping mine in the microwave for 10-15 seconds from room temp to get them all warm and floofy again before eating.
Giant Gluten Free Pineapple Coconut Muffins
Equipment
- Six 4-inch round cake pans (link below to the ones we use)
- Cookie sheet
Ingredients
For the muffins:
- 4 large eggs
- 1 Cup white sugar – 250g
- ½ Cup sour cream – 125g
- ¾ Cup canola or vegetable oil – 185ml
- 1 Cup canned crushed pineapple in its juice – 272g
- 1 1/2 tsp coconut extract – 7.5ml
- 2 tsp vanilla extract – 10ml
- 1 3/4 Cups gluten free 1-1 flour mix with xanthan gum in it – 290g if the flour does not contain xanthan gum then add 1.5 grams (3/4 tsp) now
- ¼ Cup arrowroot starch or cornstarch – 37g cornflour in the UK
- ¾ Cup blanched packed almond flour – 117g
- 2 ¾ tsp baking powder – 11g
- ¾ tsp salt – 4g
- yellow food coloring optional
For the glaze:
- 1 ¼ Cup sifted powdered sugar – 162.5g
- 1 tsp coconut extract – 5ml
- 2 Tbsp juice from the canned pineapple – 30ml
- 1 tsp melted salted butter – 5ml
- yellow food coloring optional
- Pinch salt
Instructions
- Make the muffin batter! It will need to rest at room temp for 30 minutes before baking. First, in a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, white sugar, oil, sour cream, coconut and vanilla extracts until thicker and smooth. Add in the 1 cup of crushed pineapple (in it's juice – don't strain it!) and whisk to combine. Add in the gluten free 1-1 flour, xanthan gum if your mix does not already contain it, arrowroot or corn starch (cornflour in the UK), blanched almond flour, baking powder, and salt (and yellow food coloring if using) and stir until just combined (do not overmix).
- Then place your six 4-inch cake pans on a cookie sheet and grease each pan with cooking spray or room temp butter, then spoon batter into each one evenly (they should be about 2/3-3/4 full). Then let the batter sit either on the counter for at least 30 minutes before baking.
- Once the batter has rested preheat the oven to 425° Fahrenheit. Bake for 5 minutes and then turn down the temperature to 350° (without opening the oven door!! Keep it closed) and continue 20-25 minutes until the tops spring back with touched or a skewer inserted into the center of the muffin comes out clean (do NOT open the oven while baking or the muffins will not rise fully, only open the oven a tiny bit to check if done). Let cool nearly-completely before turning out.
- While the muffins are cooling, make the glaze! In a medium bowl, stir together all of the glaze ingredients, starting with the 1 tsp of melted butter, 1 tsp of coconut extract and 1 tbsp of pineapple juice from the can and adding the rest of it as needed (you may not need all of it), until fully combined and very smooth (this may take some working). Check the consistency of the glaze: you're looking for a glaze that can pour over the muffins, but doesn't flow too quickly or it will simply run off and not hold on top of the muffins, when in doubt, thicker is better. Add more powdered sugar if it seems too thin/runny. Taste as you go! Add the salt last, and taste to be sure it's the right amount – it should enhance the flavor but not taste salty.
- Then use a spoon or small pitcher to pour the glaze over the muffins, and serve! You can let the glazed muffins sit at room temp for 30-45 minutes for the glaze to harden, then put into zip-top bags and keep in the fridge or freezer for up to a week. Best-served slightly warm, so pop them in the microwave for 10-20 seconds from room temp!
Tag @sisterssansgluten on Instagram if you snap a photo of your muffins!
Food photography and styling by Amelia Farber
