Sweet Potato Pie Muffins
Yields: 14-18 muffins Prep Time: 20 minutes Total Time: 1 hour
Made with two whole sweet potatoes and warmed with cinnamon and a hint of nutmeg, these muffins pack as much nutrition as they do flavor! Shredded zucchini helps keep them moist and delicious!
Ingredients
2 medium sweet potatoes, skin on and diced (about 3 1/4 cups)
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 medium egg
1/4 cup avocado oil (or preferred oil)
1/4 cup tightly packed shredded zucchini
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/4 cup whole milk
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
For the topping:
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Directions
1. Dice sweet potatoes into cubes and steam until cooked (about 5-10 minutes).
(No, the colors of the photo are not faded. This variety of sweet potato is a little lighter, less orange, and has a bit more of a mild flavor.)
2. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
3. Use a box grater, grate zucchini finely and squeeze out the juice, until you get 1/4 cup tightly packed zucchini.
4. Place sweet potatoes, zucchini, egg, brown sugar, avocado oil, maple syrup, vanilla in the food processor and process until a puree.
5. In a separate bowl, combine whole wheat flour, baking powder, salt, ground cinnamon, allspice and nutmeg and mix well.
6. Slowly incorporate the wet sweet potato mixture into the dry ingredients. Add milk and mix well.
7. Scoop about 1/4 cup of batter into each lined muffin tin cup.
8. Mix together 1 tablespoon brown sugar and 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon for the topping, and gently sprinkle a pinch on each muffin.
9. Bake at 375 degrees for about 15-18 minutes, until thoroughly cooked. Remove from oven and let cool. Store at room temperature or in the refrigerator.
Have you ever attempted something and just not had it work out the way you planned? Well, that could be said of these darn muffins. Seriously. I made 5 different versions, and FINALLY, these came out the way I wanted and with rave reviews from my kiddos and husband.
I started out with pumpkin involved, and that just went awry. Then, I tried different flours, and still, not what I was looking for. Then, I stuck to sweet potatoes as the main component, with the skin on, keeping all of the nutritious goodness nature already packed into those babies, and stopped trying to add more. I did add zucchini, but purely to help the muffins stay moist. The zucchini is truly undetectable, and actually hardly visible within the muffin.
The cinnamon sugar topping makes these little muffin pies a bit extra special. As I have mentioned, my middle child is our picky one, and I could not keep her away from these. I felt good about handing them over, because she was getting great fiber, vitamins A and C. Additionally, there are B vitamins from the whole wheat flour. Great for a brunch, or every day morning muffins, these little guys represent sweet potatoes in a yummy new light!
