Coconut-Orange Mini Muffins

I came across this recipe on...where else...Pinterest and I'm kinda in love the them...not gonna lie.  They are light and fresh and the perfect little breakfast!  I know...traditionally LIME and coconut are the go-to combo when you make anything with coconut.  Believe me, the orange is DELISH!  But if you have limes laying around feel free to substitute them for the orange.  I think I'm going to give that a shot the next time I make them.  Variety is the spice of life, right?

This recipe will make 24 mini muffins or 12 regular muffins.

For the muffins:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1 stick of butter; room temperature

1 cup granulated sugar

2 eggs

2 tsp. vanilla extract

zest of 1 orange (or 2 limes...you want about 1 tbsp. of fruit zest)

1/2 cup milk (regular, almond....whatever; I've even used cream)

1 cup shredded, sweetened coconut

For the glaze:

2 cups powdered sugar

2-3 tbsp. orange juice (or lime juice)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Spray a mini muffin pan (or regular size muffin pan) with non-stick spray and set aside.  (If you're using cupcake liners, omit the cooking spray and just line the pan with liners.  Set aside.)

In a medium bowl combine flour, baking powder and salt.  Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar.  Add eggs one at a time, beating after each egg.  Add the vanilla and zest and combine well.

Add half of the flour mixture and incorporate completely.

Add half of the milk and incorporate completely.

Add the remaining flour mixture and incorporate completely.

Add the remaining milk and incorporate completely. (But don't over mix.)

Fold in shredded coconut.

Fill muffin pans 3/4 full.

For mini muffins, bake for 14-16 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

For regular muffins, bake for 24-28 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Let cool in pan for 5 minutes then transfer to wire cooling rack and cool completely.

For the glaze, whisk together the powdered sugar and juice until no lumps remain and desired consistence is met.  Drizzle the glaze over cooled muffins and ENJOY!