Healthy Sweet Potato Muffins with Maple Pecan Butter
Total Time
1 hour
Prep Time
30 minutes
Cook Time
30 minutes
Rating
5 out of 5 stars
(0)
Ingredients
12 muffins
- 2 flax eggs (2 tbsp ground flax + 5 tbsp water)
- 1 cup (260g) pureed sweet potato*
- 1/4 cup (70g) unsweetened apple sauce
- 1/4 cup (50ml) plant-based milk
- 1/3 cup (100g) pure maple syrup
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 2/3 cup (200g) whole wheat flour*
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ginger
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 1 cup (110g) chopped pecans
- 1/2 cup (80g) vegan chocolate chips (I use Enjoy Life semisweet)
- 2 cups (225g) pecans
- 2 tsp pure maple syrup
- 2-3 tsp melted coconut oil (if needed)
- Dash of cinnamon
- Pinch of salt
How would you rate this recipe?
Preparation
Step 1
Mix your flax egg and set it aside to gel. By the time you add it to the batter, it should be thickened and gel-like.
Step 2
Preheat the oven to 350F and line a cupcake tin with 12 paper liners.
Step 3
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg. Set aside.
Step 4
In a large bowl, whisk together the sweet potato, apple sauce, milk, maple syrup, vanilla, and gelled flax eggs.
Step 5
Using a rubber spatula, mix in half of the dry ingredients until combined. Then fold in the rest until smooth.
Step 6
Fold in the pecans and chocolate chips.
Step 7
Scoop the batter into the cupcake liners, fill nearly to the top and use up all the batter. Sprinkle the tops with a few extra chocolate chips if desired.
Step 8
Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick in the center comes out clean. Allow the cupcakes to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to finish cooling completely before serving. They’re best at room temperature, as they tend to be a bit too soft when they’re still warm or hot.
Step 9
Drop the oven temperature to 300F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Spread the pecans out in an even layer and bake for 8 minutes or until dark and fragrant.
Step 10
Add the roasted pecans to a food processor and blitz until crumbled. Add the maple syrup and run the processor for about 10 minutes. It takes time, but the pecans will slowly transform from dry and crumbled to smooth and creamy. As the processor runs, it releases the oil in the nuts to smooth out the mixture.
Step 11
If you find the pecan butter just will not smooth out, add a teaspoon of coconut oil at a time (no more than 3 tsp total) and keep running the processor until smooth. Blitz in the cinnamon and salt.
Step 12
When the muffins are cooled, serve the muffins with the pecan butter on the side. You can either spread it on top or split the muffins in half and spread it in the middle. Enjoy!
Step 13
Save recipe for the next time?
Chef's notes
SWEET POTATO PUREE – Rinse and dry your potatoes. Place them on a baking sheet lined with foil and puncture the tops with a fork. Bake at 400F for 1 hour or until fork tender. Allow the potatoes to cool for 20 minutes, then peel and blend in a food processor until completely smooth.
FLOUR – You can also use white flour if that’s all you have. I haven’t tested it with gluten-free, but your best option is to use Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 flour. I included some extra gluten-free baking tips in the post above.
NUT BUTTER OPTIONS – If you’d rather not mess with the pecan butter, I recommend using store-bought natural almond butter (ingredients are just almonds and maybe salt). Mix 1/4 cup with 1/2 tsp maple syrup and a pinch of cinnamon and salt if it’s not already salted.
