Blog with Friends - Apples



Welcome to another episode of Blog with Friends! 

 As September's theme we picked Apples!

I mean our subject is "Apples". Same thing, though, right?

 Apples are a staple all year round at our house, but in my book, come fall, they have to be combined with cinnamon. It's one of my favorite things.




Lately I have found a new fall food obsession: sweet potatoes. I don't know why I have never tried them. Maybe because my Mom swears they're great since some esoteric person who works with energy fields and stuff has told her to eat them?



Anyway, I did now, and I am hooked. The following recipe is a combination of about four or five tutorials I have watched on YouTube, plus I used my go-to substitute for butter: applesauce. 

 For the ultimate Fall / Harvest / Thanksgiving touch I added some cornmeal. I am sure one might also replace some of the sweet potatoes with pumpkin puree, but I didn't go there. 

 Here goes:

 Ingredients:

1 - 1.5 generous cups (400+ grams) of mashed sweet potatoes (use a bit more than a pound of raw ones, steam or roast them for an hour or more, depending on size, peel and mesh or puree in blender)
1 cup (200g) unsweetened applesauce (use store bought or as you steam your sweet potatoes add two large apples)
2 large eggs, room temperature
4 ounces (113g) cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 (100g) cup brown sugar
1/4 cup (92g) Stevia (or 1/2 cup granulated white sugar if you're not into sugar substitutes)
1 - 1.5 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
pinch ground cloves
1 cup (100g) whole wheat flour
1/2 (50g) cornmeal
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
Instructions

  • Preheat your oven to 350°F (180°C)
  • Line 12 muffin tins
  • In a large bowl sift all dry ingredients, set aside
  • In a second bowl cream together eggs and sugars, add cream cheese until well combined. 
  • Add applesauce and mashed sweet potatoes.
  • Mix the dry into the wet ingredients, just until everything is nicely incorporated.
  • Using an ice cream scoop, distribute the batter evenly into your muffin tins.
  • Bake for about 25 - 30 minutes, test for doneness with a toothpick
Enjoy

Serve as is (this is a slightly underbaked, yet super moist and yummy version):


or with a dollop of apple sauce or greek yogurt, sprinkle with cinnamon, chopped pecans and dried cranberries. Of course you may go for ice cream, I'm just trying to go easy on my calories here!


Have some dark roast coffee with your muffin. Anniversary Blend - soon to appear at your Starbucks store - should be perfect. If you don't like coffee, chai tea works well, too. 



PS: If you double the flour in this recipe, omit the cream cheese and add two cups of buttermilk you've got yourselves a pancake batter!



Now go and check out my blogger friends' contributions, there are more yumminess and crafty creations to be discovered:





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