Sweet Potato Muffins (Also known as donut muffins)

Ah! Fall is in the air again. How I love it so. Pumpkin Spice latte's are back on tap at your local Starbucks and all things pumpkin are here again. There's a crispness in the air that makes me feel oddly awake and sleepy at the same time. And of course this begins the fall winter baking spree that I go on every year. Lucky for you guys, I like sharing :-) Here's my recipe for Sweet Potato muffins, that are brushed with butter and rolled in cinnamon sugar. I have had similar muffins (not sweet potato) called donut muffins. They are moist, not too sweet on the inside, but have a sweet sugar coating on the outside to balance it out. It's a beautiful thing the donut muffin! I have also made these with pumpkin puree before and they are equally delicious, although I will caution you to make sure you get pumpkin puree and not pumpkin pie filling. They are different.

Sweet potato puree can be found in cans at the grocery store. It is usually in a similar place as the pureed pumpkin. If in doubt, ask a store attendant, as they can both be a little challenging to find. Don't give up though! These are sooo good.

Ingredients:

2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder 1/2 teaspoon table salt 1/4 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1/3 cup buttermilk 1/3 cup whole milk 1/2 cup sweet potato puree (from 1 baked potato) 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature 3/4 cup brown sugar 2 eggs

For the topping: 1/2 cup sugar 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1 stick unsalted butter, melted

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350*

In a medium bowl, combine all purpose flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda and ground nutmeg. Set aside.

In a large pour-able measuring cup combine whole milk, buttermilk, sweet potato puree and vanilla extract. Set aside.

In a large bowl, cream unsalted butter and brown sugar with an electric mixer, until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Alternately mix in dry and wet ingredients into the butter, starting and ending with the dry; mix only until each addition is incorporated, being careful not to overmix.

Coat a muffin pan with nonstick spray and fill muffin cups 1/2 full. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the muffin comes out clean.

While muffins are baking, in a shallow bowl, combine granulated sugar, ground cinnamon and ground nutmeg. In a separate bowl, melt 1 stick of unsalted butter.

When the muffins are cool enough to handle, yet still warm, remove muffins from the pan, brush them completely with the melted butter, and roll in the sugar mixture to coat.