1. Set oven rack to middle position and preheat to 350 degrees. Lightly spray or butter 18 cups of two 12-cup muffin tins.

2. Mix the first 5 (dry) ingredients in a large mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, cream butter with a hand mixer, then add eggs, bananas, and vanilla and mix until well blended and the bananas are broken up. Stir wet mixture into dry ingredients; do not over mix. Gently stir in nuts and coconut.

3. Spoon batter into 18 cups and bake for about 15-20 minutes depending on your oven. Insert a toothpick in the center of a muffin to check doneness – toothpick should come out clean, maybe with a few crumbs attached. Do not overbake.

4. Turn muffins out on a rack to cool. These muffins are spectacular fresh; on subsequent days toast to reheat and regain crunchy edges.

NOTES:

1. Part of the reason this recipe is so awesome is because of the butter and coconut (the latter a surprising twist). One approach is to simply enjoy these muffins in the original metrics and in moderation. This is why I like the muffin versus loaf format; muffins make you think more about portion control, whereas a loaf makes portions ambiguous (i.e., how thick a slice you cut). However, if you are concerned about improving the healthfulness of this recipe, there are 3 things I recommend:

2. Given that I like my bananas barely ripe, we tend to have a lot of bananas in our freezer and this recipe is a great way to use some of them up. Simply defrost by placing frozen bananas in a bowl of water for about 10 minutes or by defrosting in the microwave. Cut off one end and squeeze out the bananas into your mixing bowl. Another added bonus: the peels are so soft that they should go down your disposal with no trouble (proceed at your own risk!) or will break down easily if you have a composter.

3. To make this recipe nut-free, sub in dried cranberries for the nuts.

4. Finally, don't forget the awesomeness of using baking to teach math!