Mango Lassi Crunch Muffins

I really liked these muffins, though it's funny that they're called "crunch" muffins, because there's no crunch aside from the pecans.  The recipe says to add the crunchy topping, then cover it with batter....they would probably have more "crunch" if you just added the crunch to the top and baked them, instead of covering it.  Anyway, they're yumalicious!

Mango Lassi Crunch Muffins

For the Crunch:
1/2 C. white chocolate, melted
1/2 C. Rice Krispies
3/4 C. pecans, finely chopped
3/4 C. Nilla wafer cookies, chopped*

For the Muffins:
1 1/2 C. sugar
1 C. vegetable oil
2 large eggs
1/2 tsp. vanilla
3 C. all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 C. vanilla yogurt
2 C. fresh mango, chopped

To prepare the crunch, preheat the oven to 250°.  Toss the pecan pieces, Rice Krispies, and cookie pieces in a small bowl to blend.  Add the white chocolate ad continue to toss (using a fork, as the chocolate may be still be hot) until small clusters form.  (I started by using a fork, then found it easier to use my hands when it was cool enough to touch.)
Spread the clusters on a parchment or wax-paper lined baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes.  Finished crunch will be slightly browned and fragrant.  Set aside to cool.

Meanwhile, begin preparing the muffin batter by creaming the sugar and oil in a large bowl.  Add the eggs one at a time, then the vanilla, beating until incorporated.
In a separate bowl, sift the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt together in a medium bowl.  Add the dry ingredients to the creamed sugar, alternating with the yogurt, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary and beating until just incorporated.  Fold in the mango.

Preheat the oven to 350°
Line a muffin tin with paper liners.  Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin tins so that each is about 1/3 full.  Use your hands to gently break up the crunch clusters and sprinkle about 1 teaspoon over the top of the batter.  Top the crunch with approximately one tablespoon more of batter.  The crunch does not need to be completely covered but each liner should be filled to its top.  Bake for 24-26 minutes.  Finished muffins will be slightly browned at the edges and golden across the top.  Allow muffins to cool slightly before removing from pan.  Yield: Approximately 24 muffins

*The original recipe called for Maria cookies but said that Nilla wafers, or any other simple vanilla cookie may be substitute.

Recipe from scarlettabakes.com