Pumpkin/Sweet Potato Chocolate Chip Muffins

Okay, I'm going to go ahead & forwarn you that these are soooo good, just not so good for a diet. You'll see why in a second. This made a decent batch for my family so I stuck some in the freezer. I went to put something in today & they're still fluffy & moist feeling. I'll let you know how they warm up.


Beat together:

4 eggs
2 c. sugar
1 16 oz can pumpkin or 16 oz (that's 2 cups) pureed sweet potato
3/4 c. milk
3/4 c. oil


In a separate bowl sift:
2 c. all-purpose flour
1 c. whole wheat flour (I used white wheat just because that was the first thing that I put my hands on-be sure to spoon it from the bag into the measuring cup so that the muffins don't end up too dense)
2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. salt

Add to liquid ingredients. Stir until just combined. Fold in chocolate chips (I used one bag of semi-sweet, add more or less if desired).

Fill muffin cups 3/4 full. Bake at 350 for 16-20 minutes for regular sized muffins, 8-11 for mini muffins.

I found this recipe here.

Sweet Potato Pancakes

To celebrate having the laptop back (finally!) & sweet potatoes being harvested (& the fact that I have some of the best friends in the world that let me come pick some today!) I thought I would post a new recipe. This recipe is from my Deceptively Delicious cookbook by Jessica Seinfeld (yeah, I jumped on that bandwagon for a brief time. It does have some good recipes in it though-I need recipes b/c other than throwing some wheat flour in things I'm extremely recipe dependent).

So, to prepare the SWEET POTATO PUREE

Prep: Do not peel. Cut into quarters, if steaming. If roating leave whole. Cook: Steam for 40-45 minutes. ROAST AT 400 f for 50-60 MINUTES (Can you tell which one I do?)
Puree: Scoop out the flesh & puree in a food processor or blender (definitely just pulse the food processor b/c if you don't it throws it onto the sides & you have to keep taking the lid off & scraping it off of the sides. You all probably already know that but I had to figure that out the hard way today).


SWEET POTATO PANCAKES (they are soooo easy & were a big hit with everyone again)
1 c. water
1/2 c. sweet potato puree
1/4 tsp. cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice (optional)-I used cinnamon (& a little more than 1/4 a tsp.)
1 c. pancake mix
nonstick cooking spray
1 tbs. canola or vegetable oil
syrup, for serving

1-In a large bowl, mix the water, sweet potato puree, & cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice, if using. Add the pancake mix & stir just to combine-the batter should be lumpy.

2-Coat a griddle or large nonstick skillet with cooking spray & set it over medium=high heat. When the pan is hot, add the oil, & spoon the batter onto the griddle or pan, using 1/4 c. batter for each pancake.

3- Cook until bubbles form on top of the pancakes & the batter is set, 2-3 minutes. Then use a spatula to flip the pancakes & cook them until golden brown on the other side, 2-3 minutes.

***I didn't have "pancake mix" tonight so I used baking mix. I fixed ours according to the recipe on the back of the box for pancakes, using slightly less milk & they turned out fine.


For interesting info on the sweet potato you can follow this link