Sweet Potato 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.

For the muffins:
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

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.

Holy Sweetness!

I love this recipe so much.  Well, don't I love them all really? These morning buns are so very simple to make, and so sinfully delicious.  I have actually done this recipe by making my own croissant dough, and while it's delicious, the work involved is really lengthy and intensive.  By purchasing the croissant dough, this recipe instantly becomes a super easy treat for any morning.  Curl up with one of these and a nice hot latte or cup of tea, and your day is bound to be an excellent one.

Ingredients:
1 Egg
2 Tablespoons Milk

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 cup of granulated sugar
1/2 cup plus 2 Tablespoons firmly packed brown sugar

2 packages of croissant dough

1/2 cup of granulated sugar (optional)

Directions:

In a small bowl, whisk together the egg and milk.  Set aside.

In another bowl, combine the cinnamon and sugars.

Prepare two muffin tins by greasing each cup and the top edge lightly with non-stick spray.

Open one of your packages of dough and place it on a lightly floured counter top.  Roll it lightly to make a slightly larger rectangle and to get rid of the perforations that are there.  Brush the dough with half of the egg mixture, making sure to brush it all the way to the edges.  Sprinkle the entire surface with half of the sugar mixture.

Begin rolling your dough, jelly roll style into a long log, making sure to keep it tight. Pinch the seam closed and brush away any excess sugar.

With a very sharp or serrated knife, cut the log into 1 1/2 inch slices and place each piece into a cup in the muffin tin.

Repeat with the other package of dough.

Place your buns in a warm place to rise.  Cover loosely with plastic wrap or a damp towel.  let rise until the dough is slightly higher than the rim of your muffin cups.

Preheat the oven to  350 degrees.  Place the muffin tins on the middle rack of the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes until lightly golden brown and puffy.

Place your white sugar in a large cookie sheet or platter.  Turn the hot buns out of the muffin tin and onto the tray with sugar.  Immediately roll each bun around to coat with sugar and let cool.

Latte Love!

Merry Christmas!!!

Every Christmas, I make this coffee bread for Christmas breakfast.  One year I almost did not make it becuase I was so busy with other things, but everyone was so outraged that I ended up staying up until midnight on Christmas Eve to finish it.  The ruination of Christmas was almost on my head.  Can't have that people...no bueno!

Swedish Cardamom Coffee Bread

Dough:

3 cups bread flour
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup crisco
2 Tablespoons yeast
3/4 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 cup milk powder (I prefer whole if you can find it)
1 Large egg
2 cups hot water (110-115 degrees)
3 cups bread flour

Filling:
2/3 cup sugar
2/3 cup ground almonds or 1/2 cup almond paste and 1/2 gruond almonds.
1/3 teaspoon almond extract
3 Tablespoons butter
1 egg

Directions:
Divide your flour in half and set one half aside.  In a mixing  bowl, place one half of the flour and the remaining "dough" ingredients.  Turn your mixer onto medium speed and mix until a slimy liquid is formed.  Remove your whisk attachment and replace with a dough hook.  Gradually add the remaining flour until a soft dough is formed.  It should just barly stick to your fingers when you touch it.

Turn the dough into a greased bowl, grease the top of the dough and cover with plastic wrap.  Set in a warm place to rise.  Let rise until doubled  in volume.

Meanwhile, mix together all of your filling ingredients until a thick paste is formed.

Once dough has doubled in size, place a generous amount of flour on your counter top or a large cutting board.  Divide the dough in half and place one piece of the dough on the floured surface. Roll out into a large rectangle with a floured rolling pin.

Take half of your filling mixture and spread it onto your dough rectangle, leaving a 1/4 inch of dough around the edge with no filling.  With one long side, start rolling your dough into a log.  Just like you would do for cinnamon rolls.  Pinch the dough at your long seam to seal the edge closed.  Make sure it's sealed well, as you don't want it to open in the cooking process and lose all of your yummy filling.

Once you have rolled and pinched the dough, Place your log onto a parchment covered baking sheet and form the log into a large ring, like a wreath.  pinch the ends together and cover loosly with plastic wrap.  Set in a warm place to rise.  Repeat process with  second piece of dough and remaining filling mixture.

Let both rings rise until almost  doubled in size.  While they are rising, preheat your oven to 400 degrees.  Before baking, remove the plastic wrap and place in the center of your oven.  Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown and firm to the touch.

Remove from the oven and let cool completely.  If you are not serving immediately, cover it with foil or place in tummerware to store.  WHen ready to serve, reheat it in a 300 degree oven for 10 minutes.

I like this bread with a light glaze on top, to sweeten it up a bit more.  You can make this by combining one cup of powdered sugar and a 1/3 cup of water or heavy cream.  Add in a dash of vanilla and drizzle over the top.

enJoy!