Tropical Paradise Muffins, or Kelly's Fruity Muffins

It's finally fall! I love fall - the beautiful, cool weather; the changing leaves; the hearty foods! And of course, now that the weather's cooling off, it means a lot more baking.

I woke up this morning and wanted something sweet. I thought about pancakes, but they can be so cliche. So, as I surveyed my kitchen (and found an overabundance of fruit), these muffins sort of materialized in my head.

They're a perfect transition from summer to fall: they take the tropical flavors of summer and marry them into a very dense, sticky, baked treasure of delectable yumminess. Mmmm!

Ingredients:
1 1/3 cups cubed watermelon (all seeds removed!)
1/3 cup of strawberry-banana juice
2.5 ripe bananas

1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 heaping tbs. apple sauce
3/4 cup shredded coconut, unsweetened
1/2 cup oatmeal

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Grease muffin tin. (I used muffin liners, but they stuck to the muffins big time. Therefore, I highly suggest greasing your pan instead!)
   
3. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda, sugars, and applesauce.
4. In a blender, puree watermelon, juice, and bananas.
5. Add half of the puree to the flour mixture and blend well, making sure to scrape down the sides. Repeat with second half of puree.
6. Fold in coconut and oatmeal.
7. Pour into muffin tin and bake until top is dark golden brown and springs back when pushed. You can also use the toothpick test - insert a toothpick and if it comes out clean, the muffins are done! **Note: This batter doesn't rise very much, to fill your pans almost to the top.

Yields approximately ten to twelve muffins.