Papaya Muffins - #MuffinMonday

If my father could see me now... Papaya (we actually call it pawpaw here) was his favourite fruit. I hated it. I could barely get past the smell of it much less the taste. I found out yesterday that my mother also disliked it. She did, however, find a variety that was tolerable. We refer to those as the "agricultural" pawpaws. That's a definition for another time. They are indeed better. The smell and taste are bearable and I'll take a few bites now and then but pawpaws will never become a favourite. Why struggle with pawpaws when there are mangoes and star apples and naseberries and sugar cane (not a fruit but still way better than pawpaws) and otaheite apples and sweetsop... you get the point. 

So how did pawpaw end up in my muffins? One day last week, pawpaws just kept showing up in my day. The lady who sells fruits where I work had quite a few when I got in that morning. I immediately wondered how they'd fare in a muffin. Later, someone in class started talking about them. Then when I got home, three large ones were sitting on the counter. Definitely muffin time. (Side note: I just checked my calendar and the day this was happening was March 20th. My father's birthday. OK, universe. I listened.) Just to be on the safe side, I added coconut. Everything is better with coconut. The pawpaw flavour isn't strong and I think it would take most persons a while to guess that they are eating a pawpaw. That then makes it perfect for me. I had to eat the extra pawpaw puree and hit my yearly pawpaw limit right then and there.

Papaya Muffins

Yield: 12

Ingredients
2 cups flour

1/2 cup light brown sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup freshly grated coconut

1 cup papaya puree (you can leave it a bit chunky)

1 egg

1/4 cup oil

1/4 cup milk

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 F and line or grease or cupcake pan.

Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Stir in the coconut. Add the papaya puree, egg, oil, vanilla, and milk. Gently stir together until just combined. 

Bake for about 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into a muffin comes out clean. 

• Banana Nut Muffins from Palatable Pastime
• Butternut Squash & Apple Muffins from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Cheezy Garlic Muffins from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Healthy Carrot Cake Muffins from Farm Fresh Feasts
• Papaya Muffins from Passion Kneaded
• Peanut Butter Stuffed Banana Muffins from Food Lust People Love

#MuffinMonday is a group of muffin loving bakers who get together once a month to bake muffins. You can see all our of lovely muffins by following our Pinterest board. Updated links for all of our past events and more information about Muffin Monday, can be found on our home page.