I enjoy a good challenge every once in a while. Do you?

Around November of last year a friend and I were out shopping when we came across a kit to make a pineapple upside down cake. I looked at the ingredients and didn’t know what a lot of them were so I put it back on the shelf. I’ve made a pineapple upside down cake before and I don’t recall it having unknown ingredients. Anyway, as I was putting it back on the shelf, I said, “Wouldn’t a coconut and pineapple upside down cake taste good?”  I got a, “Uhhh Yah!” out of my friend.

Well, I had just had surgery a little less than a month before that conversation and I was no where ready for a baking challenge.  I shared my idea with several ladies at church and they all agreed that a coconut pineapple upside down cake would taste good.

Between not feeling up to baking and not feeling creative, I kept putting off looking to find a recipe. Then one of the ladies told me that she was having to go on a low-potassium, low-sodium diet and she was having a hard time finding recipes.  Actually, several of my friends have been placed on the same diet, so I felt a challenge to help them come up with something yummy to eat.

I looked online to see if I could find any recipes and was surprised that I couldn’t find any…well until today when I actually thought of looking up “pina colada” muffins…Go figure, I have already made my own recipe! Haaa Haaa!

Here it is: Low-potassium, low-sodium, Processed sugar-free, Coconut Pineapple upside down muffins! (long name!)

1 C Quick Oats

1 Cup Shredded Wheats (or other low-potassium/low-sodium cereal) Shredded/broken up

1/2 C Unsweetened Coconut Flakes

1/2 C Coconut Sugar

1 t baking soda

1/4 t salt (optional)

1 C Butter Milk *(See notes)

2 T melted unsalted Butter

2 T melted coconut oil (Or use 1/4 C Butter or 1/4 Coconut oil if you don’t want to mix them)

1 – 2 t vanilla

1 egg

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Topping

1/4 – 1/2 C Unsweetened Coconut Flakes

1 C Unsweetened Pineapple (or 1 1/2 C Frozen pineapple – Trader Joe’s brand is good)

*If using canned pineapple, reserve the juice and use it as part of the liquid and reduce the amount of buttermilk. Also, if you don’t have buttermilk, mix regular milk in with the pineapple juice and allow it to sit for 3 to 5 minutes. The acid in the pineapple will curdle the milk to make buttermilk.

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Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Grease or butter your muffin tins (this makes 12). Distribute the coconut from topping as evenly as possible between 12 tins. Brown the coconut in the oven for 2-3 minutes (watching it so that it does not burn). Once you pull the muffin tins out of the oven, distribute the pineapple evenly on top of the coconut in the 12 tins (2/3 ring fits perfectly or 4 pieces if cut up).

In a bowl, mix all the dry ingredients. Add the egg and the rest of the wet ingredients mixing well. Once combined, add the mixture on top of the coconut in the 12 tins. Bake for 18-23 minutes watching to make sure they don’t burn.

When you take them out of the oven, let them sit in the pan for about 15-20 minutes before taking them out.  I had to scoop some of the coconut from the tins onto the muffins, but other than that, they looked delicious!!!

It was worth the challenge. I hope my friends will enjoy the special treat.

Have you been given a challenge that you have not completed for some reason? I encourage you – no, challenge you – to complete it.  Please share with me how it turns out.  Do you have a challenge for me? Let me know.

God bless you!