say again?

What's that now? I beg your pardon? Hmmm?

That's the reaction I got when I announced that I had made pineapple muffins. For a hot second, I was miffed that puzzlement was the first response rather than excitement, but I quickly realized that my eaters were right--pineapple is a rare ingredient in baked goods.

Yeah, you've got the ubiquitous ol' pineapple upside-down cake. Yes, anything pina colada is bound to involve pineapple. But really, there's not much, is there? And what a shame--it's such a tasty fruit...when it's fresh and ripe. Occasions when it's not fresh and ripe, however, are another story.

I recently had some fresh pineapple that got sadly overlooked in the fridge to the point where it could no longer be classified as tasty. I couldn't bear to waste it, so I hunted down a muffin recipe, confident that what the fruit lacked in flavor it would make up for in moistness.

Hot dang, I was right--the handfood I made had a marvelous crumb, and the slightly soured pineapple magically became delicious again. In a moment of weakness, I spiced them with ginger rather than cinnamon, and while it was good, cinnamon would've been better. For me, anyway. I have a thing for cinnamon.

Pineapple Pecan Loaves
(based on this recipe)

2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1 (3 ounce) package vanilla instant pudding mix
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 cup sour cream
1 cup fresh pineapple, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup oil
1 cup pecans, chopped

Preheat oven to 425F and hose down pan of choice.
In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, ginger, pudding mix, and sugar. In a separate bowl, combine the egg, sour cream, pineapple, and oil. Add the egg-pineapple mixture to the flour mixture and stir until moistened. Fold in the nuts. Spoon the thick batter into the prepared molds and bake until the toothpick test is passed, about 15 minutes for muffins and 25 minutes for mini loaves.