Recipe Timeout: Sweet Potato Muffins

If you have leftover sweet potatoes from Thanksgiving, or just love the flavors of fall, then this recipe is for you.  I highly recommend making mini muffins with this recipe--they are perfect for toddler hands, and they take out all of the guilt from your mid-morning or mid-afternoon snack.

I got this recipe from DisneyFamily.com, which has lots of family-friendly recipes, as well as craft ideas and the like (visit www.family.com).


Ingredients:


1 stick butter, softened
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/3 cups mashed baked sweet potato (from 2 medium potatoes or 1.5 large ones)

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

7 tablespoons cinnamon sugar (one Tbsp. cinnamon mixed with 6 Tbsp. granulated sugar)


Instructions:


Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, beat the butter with a wooden spoon until creamy.  Beat in sugars (I use an electric hand mixer) until mixture is light and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time, then beat in milk, vanilla and sweet potatoes (it won't be completely smooth and creamy).

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves.  Beat together the wet and dry mixtures until just combined.

Grease your muffin tin and fill the cups half full with batter.  If desired, sprinkle tops with the cinnamon sugar.

Bake until inserted toothpick comes out clean:  approximately 18 minutes for full-size muffins and 14 minutes for mini muffins.


Yield: 

12-18 full-size muffins
3-4 dozen mini muffins