I can see that those muffins would not be very dark, as you have no "dark" ingredients.

I use the one from King Arthur flour, and they are darker, but it calls for brown sugar (I use dark brown) and whole wheat flour, as well as some additional wheat germ or sunflower seeds and I use the wheat germ. So, more whole grains, darker sugar and those heartier ingredients helps cut the sweet of the coconut, I think. It also calls for orange juice and I like that little added flavor.

If you like the one you have, I'd try some brown sugar, especially if it's only the color that's not "right". If you aren't satisfied with the flavor or texture I think I'd just try another recipe to see if you can get closer to the muffin you want.

Annie

The orange juice is a conditioner for whole wheat flour. You should actually stir the juice into the whole wheat flour, perhaps with some of the other liquid, and let it set for 8 hrs. or more to neutralize antinutrients.

Baking soda enhances surface browning, so that's okay. So does butter. So does sugar.

My basic muffins recipe calls for 400F, and the recipe @ kingarthurflour.com calls for 375F, FWIW...

I've seen some recipes for muffins that start at a higher heat, such as 425, then lower it to 350. I don't recall ever doing it, but I think the idea is a higher rise.

That's pretty much the recipe I use for carrot cake.....and it's brown inside and out....the cinnamon and the carrots help and the apples oxidize and help.
Since the recipe calls for baking soda....which needs acid to rise...which could be supplied by the apples...
But I would try half light brown sugar and half white.....and try it again....they should be brown...I suspect you forgot an ingredient.

Chloebud, the recipes that start high and lower temperatures after about 10-15 minutes are mostly for older ovens that didn't preheat well. There are also a few recipes that want a heat shock at the very beginning then lower the temp for the rest to bake properly, but I don't know if that actually works or is also just a hold over from older ovens.

Thanks. I went back and checked to see if I had copied the recipe wrong. It came from someone on this forum. I did not leave anything out. I then did a search for recipes on the forum. This exact same recipe I saw over and over.

It’s more than browning that’s missing. It’s a good muffin but I’d call it a coconut muffin. It has ¼ the volume of coconut vs. carrots: yet that flavor stands out the most.

I did find another that calls for 1 cup whole wheat flour and 1 ½ c white flour. (It also calls for subbing applesauce for the oil: perhaps a legacy from when recipes were trying to cut out fat thinking that was unhealthy)

A good thing about it is I always have all of those ingredients on hand. Muffins I usually make spur of the moment.

I’ll try another recipe and look for one with pictures so I can see if they are brown. Whole wheat flour is normally something I don’t have on hand, thinking it will spoil. I’ve probably thrown out more than I’ve ever used.

You can freeze the whole wheat flour to keep it fresher longer. Just squeeze out as much air as possible.