Sweet Potato Muffins with Chocolate Chunks

Course: Breakfast, Brunch

Cuisine: African American, North American, Soul Food

Keyword: breakfast casserole, brunch, chocolate, muffins, sweet potato

Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 25

Total Time: 35

Servings:

Calories: 304kcal

3 1/4 cups (450 grams) all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon (12 grams) baking powder
2 teaspoons (4 grams) chai spice blend
1 1/4 cup (315 grams) sweet potato puree from 2 medium sweet potatoes, roasted and pureed
3/4 cup (188 milliliters) whole milk
1 cup (2 sticks or 226 grams) unsalted butter at room temperature
1 cup, packed (220 grams) brown sugar
1/2 cup (120 milliliters) maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon (3 grams) kosher salt
2 large eggs at room temperature
1 teaspoon (5 milliliters) vanilla extract
6 ounces (1 cup or 170 grams) dark chocolate chopped

Preheat an oven to 400°F (204°C).
Lightly grease a muffin tin with (or two if you have a second one) with non-stick baking spray. Line the cavities of the muffin tins with parchment baking cups and set aside.

Sift the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and chai spice into a 3-quart mixing bowl.
In a separate bowl, use a rubber spatula to stir together the sweet potato puree and the whole milk.
Set both bowls aside.

Use a mixer to blend the butter, brown sugar, maple syrup, and kosher salt together on second speed.
Blend these for 1 minute, then stop the mixer and scrape down the bowl and beaters with a rubber spatula.
Continue mixing the butter-sugar on second speed for 2 to 3 minutes more. The mixture will look like thick icing.
Add the eggs to the bowl, one at a time, and blend them in at low speed. Add the vanilla extract with the final egg and blend these in just until incorporated.
Stop the mixer and scrape down the bowl and beaters again. Blend the butter-egg combo for 2 to 3 minutes or until it looks spongy and thick.
Add the wet and dry ingredients in an alternating fashion.
Sift in 1/3 of the dry and mix it in just until it's incorporated.
Next, add 1/2 of the sweet potato-milk mixture and blend it in.
Continue adding the wet and dry this way until all are incorporated. Be sure not to over-mix.
Gently fold the chopped chocolate into the prepared batter until it is mixed throughout.

Use a #16 portion scoop, or a 1/4 cup measuring cup, to scoop the prepared muffin batter into each of the muffin liners.
Give the muffin tin a gentle tap against the countertop to settle the batter into the tins.
Bake the sweet potato muffins 25-30 minutes.
Once the muffins are done baking, remove them from the oven and cool them in the pan for 5 minutes.
After 5 minutes, remove the muffins to a cooling rack to cool completely or until warm enough to your liking.
Serve the sweet potato muffins with fresh fruits, yogurt, warm cereals or on their own.

Replace the chai spice blend with pumpkin spice blend.
You can replace sweet potato puree with pumpkin puree in most baking recipes with no additional adjustments.
Replace the dark chocolate with semi-sweet, milk, or white chocolate.
You can omit the chocolate and make these plain sweet potato muffins.
Replace the chocolate chunks with the same amount of chopped nuts, cranberries, or raisins.

Prepare the batter as instructed.
Scrape the batter into a 9x5-inch loaf pan and bake in a 350°F (177°C) oven for 55 minutes to 1 hour.
Allow the bread to cool in the loaf pan for 10 minutes before removing it to a cooling rack and cooling completely.

It takes two medium (300-310 grams) sweet potatoes to make 1 cup of sweet potato puree. Use two sweet potatoes that are on the larger side because you need 1 1/4 cups of sweet potato puree (or 315 grams).
A 29-ounce (822 grams) can of sweet potato chunks, drained and mashed can be used in place of the fresh sweet potato puree.
The best way to achieve true chunks in your baked goods is to chop your chocolate from dark chocolate baking bars.
The high baking temperature gives your muffins the quintessential top as the batter springs up in the high heat.
Because this recipe makes 2 dozen muffins, I recommend baking the entire batch and freezing half for later. You can also divide the recipe in half for less muffins.

Store leftover sweet potato muffins in an airtight container at room temperature.
Reheat muffins in the microwave for 20 seconds to give them a freshly-baked flavor.

Allow the sweet potato muffins to cool completely.
Pack them into a freezer storage bag and freeze them for up to 3 months.
Thaw them in the bag at room temperature and heat them slightly in the microwave before enjoying them.