I had two organic sweet potatoes sitting on my counter just waiting to be used. My family is not a huge fan of sweet potatoes for a multitude of reasons – it’s annoying. I didn’t want these to go to waste. It’s another snow day here as well and I thought muffins with a blend of spices and sweet rich undertones might be delicious. Cue the experiment.

Sweet Potato Muffin Experiment

Ingredients:

• 2 medium sweet potatoes, cubed, steamed and mashed
• 3 tablespoons water
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup oil (I used olive because it’s what I had – canola or vegetable would work)
• 1/2 cup Greek yogurt
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cups liquid honey
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 tablespoons pumpkin pie spice blend
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 350°F. Prepare jumbo muffin trays (lightly oil or line with parchment or muffin cups.)
2. Peel your sweet potatoes and cut into 1″ cubes. Steam or boil until soft.
3. While your sweet potatoes are cooking, measure and whisk together your wet ingredients. Set aside.
4. Measure and sift your dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
5. When your sweet potatoes are soft, remove them from heat and mash. Allow them to cool slightly.
6. Slowly add your wet ingredients to your dry ingredients, mixing with a wooden spoon or spatula. Mix well.
7. Add your sweet potato mash to your mix. Mix well.
8. Spoon evenly into prepared muffin top trays.
9. Bake at 350°F for 18-20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the top of a muffin comes out clean.

After preparing, I taste tested. The recipe that inspired these called for almost 2 cups of sugar… no, thank you! I think you could increase the honey to 1 cup if desired. I was personally okay with the level of sweetness and fresh out of the oven they were delicious with a pat of butter. They could, however, definitely use a bit more spice – so flavour away to your heart’s content. The additional spice is not included in the recipe. Next time I’ll add extra cinnamon with the spice blend. Overall, these muffins are a satisfactory, subtly flavoured cold-weather treat. Delicious for breakfast or lunch when winter is blasting away, served with an almond milk chai latte. Your house will smell amazing!

Note: I used jumbo muffin pans (similar to these) in my experiment and they yielded 11 good sized muffins (12 if I had divided my mix evenly.) That being said, it would be simple enough to bake in a bundt pan, loaf pan (or 2), or regular muffin tray. Just adjust your baking time accordingly. (More for bundt or loaves, probably less for smaller muffins.)