Pineapple Upside Down Muffins

It's unbelievable the difference between canned pineapple and fresh pineapple. Can I get an "amen" on that one?? If you have eaten fresh within any short amount of time and then picked up a piece of canned pineapple, it's almost like calling Galveston a beach compared to Hawaii! Well, we were blessed with a nice, pretty large, pineapple this last week and I made some good use of it! Grilled pineapple, pineapple upside down muffins, and just cut up pineapple for a snack. I felt like we were in Hawaii each time I took a bite. That is until I looked out the window...oh well.

I made the pineapple muffins for P to have all week for his breakfasts'. He has gotten the shaft lately with just cold cereal so I thought he would enjoy a treat for the week! They turned out better than I thought. This is my first experiment substituting coconut oil for all the butter in a recipe like this and both P and I were impressed. I also got to slip in a veggie, carrots! Can't beat whole grains, fruit, and veggies all packed into one muffin. Try them and enjoy!

Pineapple Upside Down Muffins

recipe adapted from Eating Well

Ingredients:

Topping:

2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar

2 tablespoons chopped walnuts, or pecans (optional)
Fresh pineapple slices

Muffins:
3/4 cup whole-wheat flour
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
2 large eggs
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup coconut
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 C pineapple juice or orange juice
1 cup grated carrot, (1 large)
1/2 cup old-fashioned oats
1/2 cup raisins
1/4 cup chopped walnuts, or pecans (optional)

Directions:

1.Preheat oven to 400°F. Coat 12 muffin cups with cooking spray.
2.To prepare topping: Sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon brown sugar into each muffin cup. Sprinkle nuts, if using, over the sugar. Cut pineapple  into inch wedges. Place 2 wedges in each muffin cup.
3.To prepare muffins: Whisk whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in a large bowl.
4.Whisk eggs and brown sugar in a medium bowl until smooth. Whisk in oil, juice and vanilla. Make a well in the dry ingredients; add the wet ingredients and stir with a rubber spatula until just combined. Stir in carrot, oats, raisins and nuts, if using. Scoop the batter into the prepared muffin cups (they'll be quite full).
5.Bake the muffins until the tops are golden brown and firm to the touch, 15 to 25 minutes. Immediately loosen edges and turn muffins out onto a baking sheet. Restore any stray pineapple pieces and nuts. Let cool for at least 10 minutes. Serve upside-down, either warm or at room temperature.