Kicking off each morning with a healthy breakfast helps me on stay on track the rest of the day, and while the usual suspects are yogurt, oatmeal, or toast, it's always nice to switch it up (especially if that means a baked good). So we decided to take one of our favorite ingredients—the sweet potato—and work it into a nutritious (and portable!) breakfast.
Though they may look unassuming, sweet potatoes are bursting with health benefits—they're packed with vitamins, fiber, and potassium, to name a few. Because they're also a) inexpensive and b) super tasty, we took it upon ourselves to work them into a make-ahead muffin. This healthy muffin is filled with warm spices, freshly-grated orange zest, tart dried cranberries and of course, grated sweet potato. A whole cup of Greek yogurt makes these incredibly moist, and a topping of toasted coconut adds flavor and crunch. These went through multiple rounds of testing before they were deemed perfect, so we're confident you'll love them as much as we do.
Another bonus? There's no refined sugar in sight—these are sweetened entirely with pure maple syrup. Feel free to use honey or agave nectar instead. The batter will be scoopable, not pourable, so don't be alarmed by its thickness. Oh, and be sure to divide all the batter between 12 muffin cups—don't leave any leftover. You'll be filling the cups almost to the brim, but they rise up, not out, so you'll be left with a perfectly domed muffin with a deliciously large top.
Healthy Cranberry-Orange Sweet Potato Muffins
Makes 12 muffins
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cups white whole-wheat flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- zest from one small orange
- 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
- 1/3 cup coconut oil, melted
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup plain 2% Greek yogurt
- 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons plain unsweetened almond milk
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups peeled and grated sweet potatoes
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries (feel free to sub dried cherries, or raisins)
- 1/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut or coconut flakes (for topping)
Instructions
Preheat oven to 375°F and spray a 12-cup muffin tin with cooking spray (or line with muffin liners). In a medium-sized bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, ginger, nutmeg and orange zest and whisk until combined.
In a separate medium-sized bowl, whisk together the maple syrup and oil until combined (if the coconut oil begins to firm, continue whisking until smooth). Whisk in the eggs until well-incorporated, then whisk in the yogurt, milk, and vanilla.
Pour the wet mixture into the dry and stir with a rubber spatula until combined. Fold in the sweet potatoes and cranberries. Using an ice cream scoop, scoop the batter into the prepared muffin tin (each cup should be almost full). Divide the coconut amongst the muffins and bake until a toothpick comes out clean, the tops are golden brown and the muffins feel firm and do not jiggle when the pan is gently shaken, 33-35 minutes.
Keep leftovers in an air-tight container for up to 5 days.