Photo: Freakgirl

I usually make these delicious, wholesome muffins with pumpkin puree, but gave sweet potato a try when I couldn’t get my hands on pumpkin (may seem irrelevant now, but you’ll be glad for this variation come the end of the holiday season!). This version is also healthy and equally addictive. So much so that, topped with your favorite icing, they can easily fill in for cupcakes.

These are a sweet, healthy treat for all. This recipe is for mini-muffins which make a great finger food for the littlest ChowBabies, a just-right toddler sized dessert, a yummy lunchbox snack, and a perfect on-the-go breakfast for ChowMama and ChowPapa.  Make a bunch and pop em in the freezer—you’ll be happy to have a stash on hand at all times. (Plus, reheating them makes the cream cheese filling gooey and delicious all over again, as though they’ve come straight out of the oven.)

Sweet Potato Muffins with Cream Cheese Filling
(can be served to kids 8+ mos)

4 tbsp organic unsalted butter at room temperature + more for greasing pan (unless using silicone)
2 c organic sucanat or light brown sugar
4 large organic eggs
1 tsp organic vanilla extract
1 c organic applesauce
1 ½ c organic sweet potato  puree (homemade or 1-15 oz can)
3 c organic flour
¼ c organic ground flax seed
1 ½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 tsp organic cinnamon
¼ tsp organic nutmeg
4 oz organic cream cheese, softened
cinnamon sugar, optional

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. In the meantime, cream butter and sugar with an electric mixer. Sucanat is grainier than sugar and won’t cream the same way—it’ll work fine so long as the sucanat and butter are well mixed.

2. Add eggs, vanilla, applesauce and sweet potato to butter-sugar combo and mix well on low speed.

3. Combine all dry ingredients in a separate bowl. Slowly add to the wet ingredients while continuing to mix on low speed.

4. Fill each well of a greased, 1-ounce mini muffin tray half way. Add a ¼ tsp dollop of cream cheese on top of batter. Finish filling each well to the rim. Sprinkle each muffin with cinnamon sugar.

5. Bake for 18-20 minutes. Muffins are done when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean (except for some cream cheese filling)! Sprinkle some more cinnamon sugar on top. Allow muffins to cool in tray for about 5 minutes. Finish cooling on a baking rack.