Muffins are perfect anytime of day, especially for breakfast on the go, a mid-morning snack or a before and/or after a CrossFit workout. Sweet potato muffins were my go-to snack and a quick bite before a workout for quite awhile and I even had a tradition with my friends of making them the day before the Philly Half Marathon so we could eat them before the race. I got the recipe from Runners World magazine and at the time, I thought they were greatest thing. I never once thought they were making my acid reflux issues worse, until I started doing research on wheat and gluten and I haven’t made those muffins since.
I was a happy girl when I came across this recipe last weekend, and they sound even better than the ones I used to make! A few notes: You will need a food processor and you don’t have to use an ice cream scoop like the recipe calls for if you don’t have one – a tablespoon will do. You can find coconut nectar at Whole Foods and Wegmans, but I recommend using raw honey instead because I have read some articles that said coconut nectar isn’t consider paleo. Raw honey is great to use when baking and chances are you have some in your cabinet anyway! If you don’t have pecans, use walnuts. Coconut crystals aren’t necessary. Don’t go crazy looking for them at the grocery store unless you are feeling very ambitious 🙂
- 1 large sweet potato or yam, cut in half lengthwise
- 1 banana, peeled
- 2 chai tea bags (no sugar added)
- 3 eggs
- â…“ cup pecans
- â…“ cup flax seed meal
- â…“ cup coconut oil, melted
- 3 tablespoons coconut nectar (or other sweetener – add more if you want sweeter muffins)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- pinch of salt
- 3-4 tablespoons coconut crystals (to garnish muffins)
- Preheat oven to 405 degrees. Cut sweet potato in half, place on baking sheet, and bake for 20-25 minutes, until super soft. Remove skin.
- Reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees.
- Place soft sweet potato and banana in the food processor and puree. Then add chai tea herbs from two bags (discarding the chai bags), pecans, flaxseed meal, baking soda and powder, and cinnamon. Puree until completely broken down and smooth.
- Then add the wet ingredients: coconut oil, eggs, coconut nectar, and vanilla extract.
- Puree until smooth.
- Line muffin tin with paper or silicone liners and use an ice cream scoop to scoop out and pour ingredients into each cup. The ice cream scoop keeps the muffins equal in size.
- Sprinkle each muffins with a bit of coconut crystals.
- Bake muffins for 25-30 minutes or until you poke them with a toothpick and it comes out clean.
- Let muffins cool before consuming, it helps the muffins meld together a bit more.
I think I will try this for cravings that seem to come suddenly! Thanks Julie.