The second recipe of the new year is ALSO not a dessert. I’m two for two right now. I am aiming to share healthier recipes for the start of the new year. Well, they're all pretty 'healthy', but NOT dessert recipes. We’ll see how long this lasts. I see chocolate in the near future…
These almond butter sweet potato muffins were inspired by the large amount of sweet potatoes I have lying around from the holidays, and also from the canned sweet potato I generously received from Farmer’s Market Foods. I just love their canned pumpkin and canned sweet potato. I made these muffins a few times already and I have used both canned sweet potato and cooked and mashed sweet potato and they were both great. The cooked and mashed gave them a bit more texture.
I made these muffins 3 times, the first time they needed more sweetness. The almond butter was overpowering. So I remade them again with a little more coconut sugar and a touch of maple syrup, and reduced the almond butter. They were a little too sweet. So the final time I made them with a little less sugar and they came out perfect. They are definitely a healthy muffin, the sweet potato gives them a bit of an earthy flavor and they pair great with tea or coffee in the morning. I love to warm them up and spread a little dairy free butter on them. These are also perfect for kids, they are limited ingredients and full of vitamins. They’re soft and moist and can be topped with crushed nuts, seeds, or even a little maple sugar or coconut sugar for a little sweetness. They are a perfect healthy snack, and a great gluten free snack.
Did you ever ‘toast’ a half of sweet potato and spread almond butter on it? Yes? These are for you. No? You must do it, now!
These sweet potato almond butter muffins are healthy but still delicious!
They are full of fiber and vitamins from the sweet potato, and protein and healthy fats from the almond butter. They are not too sweet and are perfect as a morning muffin, buttered, toasted, or just straight up plain! They're kid friendly so they’re a win for everyone. They're a healthier start to the new year!
Are these paleo sweet potato muffins easy to make?
So easy. The hardest part would be boiling and mashing the sweet potato. But you could use a canned sweet potato here as well. After the sweet potatoes are mashed, it’s all about combining the ingredients and baking them up!
These sweet potato muffins grain free, dairy free, and of course gluten free!
I wanted to keep these sweet potato muffins grain free so I used almond flour and almond butter to compliment the flavors. There is no butter in this recipe, the fat is coming from the added almond butter. You’d never know they are grain free, they are fluffy and moist and have that perfect muffin texture!
How to store these paleo sweet potato muffins:
You can store in a vented container or plate covered with aluminum foil for up to 2 days on the counter, and then transfer to the fridge in an airtight container. Because of the high moisture content, these may go bad in just a few days if not refrigerated. You can also store in the freezer in an airtight container for up to 6 months and defrost when ready to enjoy.
What is in these paleo sweet potato muffins?
Sweet Potatoes: You can use any sweet potato here but I prefer yams. If you end up using a Japanese sweet potato, you may need to add another tbsp of milk to the recipe
Almond Flour: This is my preferred baking paleo flour, it’s moist and has no weird texture or taste. I have not tried any other flour in this recipe
Coconut Sugar: My preferred sweetener in baking. It’s low glycemic and does not taste like coconut!
Maple Syrup: Just a touch to compliment the sweet potatoes
Cinnamon and Nutmeg: The perfect spices to go alongside the sweet potatoes
Baking Soda: This gives your muffins a nice rise
Sea Salt: Balances flavors out in baked goods
Eggs: Because you are baking with heavy ingredients and flour, 3 eggs are needed in this recipe. I have not tried a substitute but you can try to sub with aquafaba
Vanilla Extract: A touch of vanilla adds to the flavors in these muffins
Non Dairy Milk: Just a splash for moisture
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups of fine almond flour
2 tsp of cinnamon
1/4 tsp of nutmeg
1 tsp of baking soda
1/4 tsp of sea salt
1 cup of mashed sweet potato* fresh or canned
1/3 cup of almond butter
1/4 cup of coconut sugar**
2 tbsp of maple syrup
1 tbsp of non-dairy milk of choice
3 large eggs at room temperature
1/2 tsp of vanilla extract
Toppings:
Optional crushed walnuts, crushed pecans or a sprinkle of maple sugar or coconut sugar. You can also mix these into the batter, or even chocolate chips!
Instructions:
*If you are making your own sweet potato mash, skin and boil the sweet potatoes (about 3-4 medium potatoes) until soft, drain and mash. Set aside to cool.
Preheat the oven to 350F. Line a muffin tin with liners or spray with cooking oil and set aside.
In a small mixing bowl, mix together the almond flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, baking powder and sea salt until well incorporated
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the mashed sweet potato, almond butter, coconut sugar, maple syrup, milk, eggs and vanilla extract until smooth and no lumps remain
Now mix the dry ingredients into the wet and combine until a smooth batter forms
Carefully spoon the batter into the muffin tins about 3/4 the way up. They should make 12 even muffins. Shake and tap the muffin tin down so the batter smooths out. Add any additional nuts or toppings.
Bake for 20-22 minutes, until tops brown and toothpick comes out clean.
Let cool in muffin tin until warm, then transfer to cooling rack until cooled to room temp. Store on counter for 2 days in a vented container or shallow dish covered with foil, and transfer to fridge in an airtight container for up to 7 days.
Enjoy with your morning coffee or tea!
Recipe notes:
*You can use any sweet potato here but I prefer yams. If you end up using a Japanese sweet potato, you may need to add another tbsp of milk to the recipe because it’s a drier potato. You can also use canned mashed sweet potato.
** You can omit coconut sugar if you do not have any on hand and replace with a total of 1/4 cup of maple syrup instead (so omit the extra 2 tbsp of maple syrup)
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If you make these healthy sweet potato muffins, leave ratings or comments below! I love your feedback and it really helps others! And take photos of your creations, tag me on Instagram @gutsy_baker.
xo Stephanie