Tropical Papaya Muffins
We've all been there—buying a papaya that looks perfectly ripe on the outside but is still unripe when cut into. Recently, I found myself in this exact situation. After giving the papaya a few more days to ripen and still finding it unripe, I decided not to let it go to waste. Instead, I discovered a great way to use it up: baking!
Baking not only helps ripen the unripe fruit faster but also brings out its natural sweetness. Inspired by my kids' request for muffins, I decided to create a tropical-inspired recipe that would make the most of the unripe papaya. By combining the papaya with pineapple vinegar and shredded coconut, the muffins turned out soft, moist, and full of tropical flavors.
Here's how you can recreate these delicious tropical muffins at home:
Ingredients:
2 ½ cups of flour
½ cup of oats
½ cup of sugar
2 tsp of baking powder
¼ cup of pineapple vinegar
1 cup of unripe papaya, cut into cubes
2 eggs or flax eggs (for a vegan option)
1 cup of plain yogurt
½ cup of shredded coconut
¼ cup of olive oil
¼ cup of milk
Instructions:
Preheat your oven to 375°F (175°C) and line a muffin tin with paper liners.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, oats, sugar, and baking powder.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the pineapple vinegar, eggs (or flax eggs), yogurt, olive oil, and milk.
Gradually add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, stirring until just combined.
Fold in the cubed unripe papaya and shredded coconut gently.
Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin tin
Bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean.
Allow the muffins to cool in the tin for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
This makes 11-12 muffins
These tropical muffins are a fun and delicious way to turn unripe papaya into something tasty. Let me know if you give this recipe a try and how you like it! Enjoy these muffins with your family and friends for a tropical treat!
