Coconut Cappuccino Cottage Cheese Muffins

Here I am on the blog after 2 weeks break though I posted Pizza Appetizers yesterday. But that was just an appetizer and very quick swap. My newly formed baking spree wasn’t satisfied with that tiny thing; I wanted to bake something full-time (!!! No idea where the hell I got this phrase.)

After spending some time here and there I went through some magazines, did little chit chat and gossip with friends which definitely had nothing to do with my baking spree and finally started looking for new fresh ideas. Finally I landed to the page of Sprinkle Bake and found a very refreshing recipe of muffin.

This muffin stole my heart on first sight. Gosh!!! My first time ‘love-at-first-sight’ experience!!! This muffin had all the goodness of coffee, the tropical touch from the coconut and all ‘fatty’ kindness of cream cheese. Oww how could such a combo be spoiled by so high calorie!!! I was keen to try these muffins then and there but wasn’t in mood to gulp down the cream cheese.

After a short time I decided I had to have it now!! I replaced the cream cheese with homemade ricotta cheese which is full of protein and nutrition. No more guilt for me. I knew already that I was going to enjoy my breakfast like I never did before. All the pain I had to bare was to wait for them to be baked. When that pathetic period was over I actually ate two of them and in hurry I also burnt my tongue (as if I care!!!). And guess the best part of it; it is completely guilt free. I don’t need to remind me to keep the bite back on the palate.

So if you are just like me this recipe of Coconut Cappuccino Muffins is for you only.

Preparation Time: 60 mins

Cooking Time: 20 mins

Total Time: 80 mins

Yield: 15 muffins

This Coconut Cappuccino Muffin has three layers with individual taste and texture. These three layers need to be prepared individually.

1. The Base: Coffee batter with mini chocolate chips

2. The Center: Coffee infused chewy and soft Cottage Cheese filling

3. The Top: crunchy, sweet coconut-butter topping

Ingredients for Cappuccino batter:

All-purpose flour : 1½ cup

Caster sugar : ¾ cup

Ground cinnamon : ½ tsp

Instant coffee : 1 tbsp

Baking powder : 2 tsp

Salted butter : ½ cup

Coconut milk : 1 cup

Egg : 1

Semisweet mini chocolate chips : ¾ cup

Preparation:

Take a large mixing bowl. Cream butter and sugar together with the electric beater.

Crack the egg in the batter. Beat until pale and fluffy. Place the sieve on the top of the mixing bowl. Re-sift the flour, half of the coffee, baking powder, ground cinnamon such a way that dry ingredients cover the surface of the batter. 

Start mixing in the form of ‘8’ with a wooden spatula.

Mix rest coffee with the milk. Pour milk in the center of the thick dense batter and start mixing with the spatula. Mix in a light hand until everything is coming together.

Ingredients for Cottage cheese filling:

Cottage cheese 250g

Sugar : ½ cup

Egg : 1

Coffee granules : 1 tbsp dissolved in 2 tbsp of warm water

Preparation:

If you are not using store brought cottage cheese prepare the cottage cheese as per the procedure mentioned here. Put in the blender and blend until a smooth puree is produced.

Take a medium mixing bowl. Beat sugar and egg with the electric beater until it’s fluffy and pale in color. Pour in the coffee infused water. Beat for 30 secs. Add cottage cheese puree and start working slowly to mix with the egg mixture until these produce a dense puree.

Ingredients for Coconut topping:

All-purpose flour : ¼ cup

Caster sugar : ¼ cup

Coconut flakes : 1/3 cup

Butter : 1 tbsp

Preparation:

Take a medium mixing bowl. Sieve and sift the flour and caster sugar in it. And fold in coconut flakes.

Add butter and mix roughly until everything is incorporated.

Seal the top of the bowl with cling film and set aside in the refrigerator until you need it. Don’t freeze.

Assemble:

Preheat the oven to 180⁰C. Prepare the muffin tray either with paper lining or greasing with butter and dusting with flour. If you are using silicon muffin tray like me then you don’t need to do anything. Just make sure the tray is clean and use it.

Fold the coffee batter in mini chocolate chips.Pour it in the muffin cups with a medium ice-cream scoop. Fill half of the cups. I used one scoop per cup.

Now place 1 tbsp +1 tsp of cottage cheese filling on the top of the coffee batter. But make sure you don’t fill more than 2/3 of the cups.

Finally place 2 tsp of coconut topping on the top. Don’t overload the top.

Now bake at 180⁰C for 15 mins. Cover the top of the muffin tray with an aluminium foil and bake further 5 mins. Test with a skewer in the middle of a muffin; if it comes out clean muffins are done perfectly. If not, bake for 5 mins more. Don’t remove the foil at his point otherwise the top will be burnt.

Keep the muffins inside the oven for 10 more mins as stand-by. Remove and transfer to the wire rack until cooled completely.

If you wish to enjoy warm muffins have them now otherwise keep them in an air tight container and refrigerate up to 10 days, if you are brave enough to hide them in such places where other won’t find it in those days. At-least I couldn't; rather I can't. 

Enjoy these low calorie muffins on breakfast with coffee or as snacks. It will even taste better with Nutella (Cocoa Hazelnut Spread).