Sweet Potato Muffins

Yesterday I was shopping at Whole Foods and I came across canned sweet potato puree, which I had never seen before. Maybe this is a regular thing elsewhere, but I have only seen sweet potato puree in baby food jars and was very excited to get a whole can of it! I started thinking, "What can I do with this? Muffins? Pie? Casseroles?" Sweet potatoes are one of my favorite things ever, especially around Thanksgiving time :) So tonight I got down to business and started searching for a good muffin recipe. I couldn't find one that I love so I just sort of created my own and the result was amazing! Luke and Janelle were big fans even though they were a little skeptical at first. If they pass the boyfriend and roomie test you know they must be good. (Tomorrow we'll see if they pass the brother test!) For now, here's the recipe....

Using a hand mixer combine 3/4 cup white sugar, 3/4 cup brown sugar, and 1/2 cup vegetable oil

It looks a little crumbly, almost like brown snow. But keep going! It gets better! Next mix in 2 eggs.

 Here comes the part where you add the sweet potato puree. I used one 15 oz. can.

In a separate bowl combine 2 cups flour, 1 tsp. baking soda, 1/4 tsp. salt, and 1/2(ish) tsp. cinnamon ~ you can never have too much cinnamon! (I have a kiwi friend who would tend to disagree with that statement, but he'll never see this, hah)

Then stir to combine the two mixtures.

I made muffins this time, but I'm sure you could do a whole loaf of bread and just bake it for longer.

I didn't have enough chocolate chips or raisins to add a good amount to the whole batch, so after doing a tray of regular muffins I split the rest of the batter in half and did 6 of each. (I think those ones turned out best!)

Bake at 350 degrees for about 16-18 minutes. Keep an eye on them at the end and when a toothpick comes out clean you're good to go!

These will definitely become a regular fall treat! Maybe next time I'll add some marshmallows to the top...what's better than sweet potatoes and marshmallows?! Thank you Whole Foods for carrying this yummy can of orange goodness!

Sweet Potato Muffins

3/4 cup white sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
1 15oz can sweet potato puree
2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2-1 tsp. cinnamon
3/4 cup raisins OR chocolate chips, optional

Using a hand mixer or whisk, blend together the sugars and oil. Add eggs until combined and then add sweet potatoes. In a separate bowl mix flour, soda, salt, and cinnamon. Slowly fold together the two bowls of mixture and then fold in raisins or chocolate chips if you desire. Pour into muffin cups or a loaf pan and then bake at 350- 16-18 minutes for muffins, probably closer to 50 minutes for a loaf.