Maple Sweet Potato Muffins

I had a crazy idea. If regular potatoes make feather bed-like bread, then what would sweet potatoes do for muffins? I was convinced their magical levitation powers would have a similar poof-effect even if I put in enough fiber to make them into a nutrient-packed morning fuel.  

So I went headlong, blending the sweet potatoes with their peels (so easy it seemed wrong) and used all whole grain flour. And still, the muffins came out positively springy (and addictively delicious). It worked. 

While I was using the blender, I found it was also easy to throw a little knob of fresh ginger and lemon in with all the wet ingredients, flavoring them like my favorite sweet potato pie because it’s that time of year again, but these muffins are weekday doable, even though a pie may not be. Why do people say “easy as pie” anyway? Pie may not be hard to make, but I wouldn’t put it in the speedy, easy category. Nope.

But blender muffins- I’d say are much, much closer to being termed easy. And only sweetened with a bit of maple syrup (I’ve probably seen my kids put more on their pancakes than I put in these muffins), they’re totally weekday morning worthy, even if they taste like pie.

Note, this recipe (and all cooking and baking recipes) where maple syrup is an ingredient instead of just a condiment is better suited to Grade B or Robust syrup where they flavor won’t be lost with all the other ingredients.

Maple Sweet Potato Muffins

Makes 18 standard size muffins – 40 minutes, mostly inactive time

2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour (I usually use ww pastry flour with an option to replace all or part with almond flour for extra protein)
2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. baking soda
1 t. sea salt
1/3-1/2 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup oil
1 cup buttermilk
1 medium dead-soft baked sweet potato (jacket on or off)
2 eggs
1 small slice or knob or fresh ginger
Zest of half a lemon or 1-2 drops of lemon oil

Preheat oven to 375 F. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and sea salt together in a large bowl and make a well in the center. In a blender or food processor, combine all remaining ingredients. (If you work down the list in order you can use the measurements on the side of the blender jar to measure without measuring cups.) Blend until a fairly uniform, thick liquid without shards of skin forms.

Pour blended wet ingredients into the well of the dry ingredients. Fold gently to combine until all streaks of flour have faded. Scoop batter into lined or oil-slicked muffin tins. Bake for 25 minutes (or 15 for minis). Allow muffins to rest for 5-10 minutes before eating for best texture and to not burn your tongue. You’ll be glad you waited. 

Bonus Points:
– Add: chopped crystallized ginger or chocolate, or a few shakes of pumpkin pie spice if you please. 

-Swap: skip the oven and use the batter as an unbelievably light pancake batter. Skip the fresh ginger and use 1 t. powdered ginger.

Want more sweet potato and maple syrup recipes for fall? Check out the Fall 20/20 that uses the short list of only 20 seasonal ingredients mixed and matched into 20 doable and delicious master recipes for the season. 

It will get you cooking faster, more flexible, and healthier- like the natural cook you want to be.