Savory Sweet Potato and Parmesan Muffins
Savory muffins built on roasted sweet potato, parmesan, thyme and black pepper, with no sugar at all. A tight tender crumb and a browned parmesan cap on every top.
Servings 12 muffins
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon mustard powder
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ¾ teaspoon black pepper freshly ground
- 1 ¼ cups parmesan finely grated, divided
- 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
- 3 tablespoons fresh chives chopped
Wet Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cups mashed roasted sweet potato from about 1 pound whole sweet potatoes
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- ¾ cup buttermilk
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter melted and cooled
Instructions
Roast the Sweet Potato
- Prick 1 pound of whole sweet potatoes and roast on a foil lined tray at 400F for 50 to 60 minutes, until collapsing and leaking dark syrup.
- Split them, scoop out the flesh, and mash smooth with a fork. Measure out 1 ¼ cups and let it cool.
Mix the Batter
- Heat the oven to 400F and line a 12 cup muffin tin with paper cases.
- Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, mustard powder, smoked paprika, and black pepper together. Stir in 1 cup of the parmesan and all the herbs, keeping ¼ cup of cheese back for the tops.
- In a second bowl, whisk the mashed sweet potato, eggs, and buttermilk until smooth, then whisk in the cooled melted butter.
- Pour the wet into the dry and fold with a spatula in about twelve strokes. Stop while the batter still looks slightly rough and streaky.
Fill and Bake
- Divide the batter between the twelve cases, filling each about three quarters full, and sprinkle the reserved parmesan over the tops.
- Bake 22 to 25 minutes, until a skewer comes out clean and the cheese caps are browned and crisp at the edges. The muffins themselves stay pale, which is correct.
- Cool in the tin 5 minutes, then move to a wire rack.
Notes
- Roast, do not boil: boiled sweet potato is waterlogged and a sugarless batter cannot hold that water, so you get a gummy streak.
- Pale is done: with no sugar there is nothing to brown the batter. Use a skewer, not color, and take them out when it comes back clean.
- Grate your own parmesan: pre grated cheese is coated to stop clumping and will not melt into the crumb.
- Twelve strokes: sugar tenderizes gluten, so a savory batter toughens faster when overmixed.
- Storage: 3 days at room temperature, 5 refrigerated, 3 months frozen. Reheat at 325F for 12 minutes from frozen so the cap crisps again.