GLUTEN FREE, VEGAN SWEET POTATO-ALMOND BUTTER MUFFINS

Gluten free, vegan, portable snack or breakfast; unique flavor from medley of sweet potato, almond, pineapple, and clove.

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Sweet potatoes are one of my most often consumed foods. Because of their easily digestible carbs and excellent nutrition profile, when I first had jaw surgery and was uncertain of what I could eat to fuel my marathon training, I went through a phase where I ate home baked sweet potato fries every. single. day. No joke. To provide some variety, I would pair them with different sauces and dips: cranberry-Dijon, ranch with herbs from my garden, or even plain ketchup, if I was feeling uninspired. After cycling through every combination that came to mind, I turned to Google for any fellow foodies’ suggestions. And that’s when I struck upon gold: almond butter. Almond butter has a slight tang that can sway it savory, but it’s also sweet enough that it can lend its distinct flavor to desserts. It’s also packed with vitamins and minerals like Vitamin E, magnesium, and calcium, and has plenty of fiber and protein. 

This intriguing, if not slightly unlikely, duo prompted a brainstorm session, while I was supposed to be paying attention to something “important”, about all the ways I could use this magical amalgamation to invent a delectable snack.

What did I come up with? These easy, gluten free, vegan sweet potato-almond butter muffins! Muffins are kind of the best of both worlds because they make a portable snack but also an easy, 30-sec-reheat breakfast. The flavor is totally unique, but not in a scary way, but an “I didn’t know I needed this” way. Sweet potato and almond play with pineapple and cloves and create something so addictively tasty!

The almond flavor is thrice provided by the almond flour, almond butter, and almond extract. The almond, buckwheat, and teff flours paired with the almond butter make these protein packed. To up the protein content further, serve with extra almond butter or some whipped cottage cheese. (I whip mine up with some cooked fruit, for a cheesecake Greek yogurt type spread!)

These muffins also contain the vitamins and minerals of the sweet potato, which is one of the easiest of the vegetables to sneak into your baked goods. Because of its smooth and creamy consistency, it can pretty much be swapped into any recipe that calls for pumpkin or banana. This recipe likewise uses sweet potato in its blend of wet ingredients to ensure the end result is moist, and utilizes the natural sweetness to avoid unnecessarily adding excess sugar. The sweet potato also acts as a binder along with the soaked flax seed to ensure the muffin stays intact and that the crumb is moist.

I love recipes that are easy to make because when I sense a craving, I have a very short window of time before the “hangries” strike…And now that I've spent all this time writing about how much I relish these sweet potato-almond butter muffins, I think that window of time is starting... now!

SWEET POTATO-ALMOND BUTTER MUFFINS (GF, V, DF, SD)

Yield: 16-18 muffins

What You'll Need:

• 2 medium-large sweet potatoes, peeled

• 1 cup almond flour

• 1/2 cup white rice flour

• 1/4 cup teff flour

• 2/3 cup buckwheat flour

• 2 tablespoons tapioca starch

• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder

• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

• 1/2 teaspoon fine salt

• 1/4 cup pure maple syrup

• 1/2 cup creamy natural almond butter (I love Trader Joe's brand!)

• 3/4 cup pure pineapple juice

• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

• 1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract

• 2 tablespoons ground flax seeds (soaked 5 minutes in 4 tablespoons water)

• 1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar

How To Make it

1. The first step can be done ahead even a few days. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Pierce the two sweet potatoes with a knife several times and wrap in tin foil. Bake until very soft and easily mashable. Let cool, then scoop out two packed cups of the sweet potato flesh. Eat the rest, or discard the skins. 

2.  For the muffins, turn the oven down to 375 degrees. Put liners into two muffin trays. You’ll need about 16-18 liners.

3. In a medium sized bowl, combine almond flour, white rice flour, teff flour, buckwheat flour, tapioca starch, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, and salt.

4. In a separate, large bowl, mash the sweet potato. Stir in the maple syrup, almond butter, pineapple juice, vanilla, almond extract, soaked flax, and vinegar. 

5. Add the dry ingredients into the sweet potato mixture, and mix until well incorporated and no flour clumps remain. 

6. Using a 1/4 cup measuring cup, evenly distribute the batter into the prepared muffin liners. Bake for 25-28 minutes, or until nicely browned, and toothpick comes out mostly clean. You can either place pans on two different oven shelves and rotate halfway through baking, or bake separately. 

7. Let cool in pan a few minutes, and then remove and cool completely on a wire rack. Store in the fridge for a 3-4 days or freeze and reheat. 

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Abby