Sweet Potato Muffins
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Apologies for the crappy photo… the original went missing! 🙄
Breakfast can sometimes be hard during the week. I often wake up either not really very hungry to begin with, or I just want to grab something tasty, quick, but wholesome. Enter the sweet potato muffin.
I’m always on the lookout for a good muffin recipe, so when I found these on the Wednesday Chef blog, I was immediately curious. I love dates, I prefer some whole wheat flour in my muffin and the idea of stirring in some sweet potato just seemed about perfect to me. But what I didn’t realize was how absolutely intoxicating they would smell while they’re baking up. Christmas!
Christmas in August! My husband walked through the kitchen as these were coming out of the oven and his eyes just lit up. Oh yes, cinnamon, allspice, ginger and nutmeg baked together into this sweet little buttermilk muffin, well, we were sold before the first bite.
And then that first bite…Mmmmmm. I couldn’t wait for breakfast, so I fixed a cup of tea and sat down with that still warm muffin. Oh yes. Breakfast is going to be easy tomorrow.
Sweet Potato Muffins
From the Wednesday Chef
1/2 pound sweet potatoes (also known as yams)
Vegetable oil spray for coating the tins
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
3 tablespoons sugar
1 cup flour
3/4 cup whole-wheat flour
1/4 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup plain yogurt
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
12 Medjool dates, pitted and cut into 1/4- to 1/2-inch pieces
1. Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Prick the sweet potatoes with a fork and place on a foil-lined cookie sheet. Roast for 1 hour or until they are tender when pierced with a fork and are caramelizing. Remove from the oven and allow to cool, peel, then lightly mash with a fork. Set aside.
2. Lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees. Lightly spray the muffin tin with vegetable oil.
3. Cream the butter and sugars until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
4. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, whole-wheat flour, whole-grain pastry flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger and allspice. In a separate bowl, whisk the buttermilk, yogurt, egg and vanilla together.
5. Scrape down the sides of the butter bowl and alternately add the dry and wet ingredients; do not overmix. Gently fold in the sweet potatoes, then the dates.
6. Using an ice cream scoop (about one-half cup capacity), scoop the batter into each of 10 prepared muffin cups, about 1 scoop per muffin. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes. The muffins will be dark golden brown on the bottom.
