Colorful Sweet Potato Muffins

Prep time: 20 minutes

Cook time: 1 hour, 20 minutes

Make the sweet potato puree. Pierce the potato several times with a sharp knife. Place on a microwave-safe plate and microwave for 5-7 minutes or until easily pierced with knife.

Remove the potato from the microwave and cool until easily handled. Cut the potato in half and scoop out the filling into a bowl and let cool to room temp. Puree in a food processor until smooth, about 20 seconds. Set aside.

Make the coconut topping. In a small bowl, combine all ingredients for the coconut topping until evenly blended. Set aside.

Make the muffins. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners.

Cut the butter into 1-inch pieces and melt in a microwave-safe bowl in the microwave in 30-second increments until melted. Let cool for about 15 minutes.

Place the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda and cardamom in a medium bowl and whisk to combine.

Place the brown sugar in a bowl and whisk in the melted butter, then add the eggs one at a time, whisking until thoroughly incorporated. Whisk in the sweet potato puree until smooth. Then whisk in the sour cream.

Add half of the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and fold into the batter using a spatula. Add the remaining flour mixture and fold it in until the dry ingredients are thoroughly incorporated. The batter will be very thick.

Use a #12 scoop (about ⅓ cup or 5 tablespoons) and divide the batter evenly between the 12 muffin cups. The batter should be nearly to the top of the cups. Top each muffin with the coconut topping, lightly pressing it into the batter.

Bake the muffins at 400°F for 18-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the muffin comes out clean. Remove the muffins from the oven and let the muffins cool in the muffin pan for 5 minutes. Remove the muffins from the tin to finish cooling on a wire rack.

Make the glaze. Whisk the powdered sugar with 3 tablespoons of the milk until smooth. If it seems too thick to drizzle, add another tablespoon of milk. Stir in the vanilla extract. Drizzle over the tops of the muffins and serve.

Servings: 12 muffins

Note: The sweet potato muffin batter starts out a bright purple color, but when baked turns a dark teal thanks to a chemical reaction caused by the leavening agents. This is totally normal and doesn’t affect the flavor or texture of the final product.

Ube, a purple tuber related to the yam, is an important ingredient in Southeast Asian cuisine, especially in the Philippines. Here in the U.S. it can be a difficult ingredient to find. What we do have access to are purple sweet potatoes which can be used in similar ways. Sweet potatoes in general are very healthy, but purple sweet potatoes, in particular, are richer in antioxidants and contain anthocyanins a type of flavonoid linked to reduced risk of disease. Plus, they are just plain delicious. These colorful muffins have a crunchy topping with a moist texture and light crumb thanks to the addition of Real California Sour Cream.

Recipe courtesy of By Alison Needham/CA Grown