Sweet Potato Muffins

Farm cooks have always had a way of making so much out of so little.  I have visited many farmer’s kitchens across the state and tasted some of the most delectable dishes.  Plus, I’ve learned many cooking skills on my travels.

Today, I want to share one of my favorite recipes that bring back fond childhood memories of cooking in my grandmother’s kitchen.

My grandmother was a farmer’s wife, but she also played an important role of the family’s dairy operation in Ava, Mo.  My grandmother was also one of the founders of the Ava Polk Salad Days Festival, where she and other ladies made delicious dishes incorporating polk from the land that they gathered.

One special treat I recall making with her in the fall was Sweet Potato Muffins.  She tended to a very large-scale garden on the farm, not to sell produce, but to feed their large family.  We would dig up the sweet potatoes and store them in the basement all winter long.

As a child watching my grandmother in the kitchen was like magic and when I was able to help her, I was very excited.  This is a perfect recipe to make with your children- my toddler loves these muffins in the morning with a little butter and a cold glass of milk.

A couple ways I make these muffins even more special is adding a cup of any of the following: pineapple, cranberries or dates.

Southern Sweet Potato Muffins
1 cup Butter, softened
1 cup Sugar
6 Eggs
2 cups Buttermilk
1 tsp. Vanilla
¼ tsp. Fresh Ginger, grated
½ tsp. Cinnamon
1-1/2 cups All-Purpose Flour
2 T. Baking Powder
1 pound Sweet Potatoes, peeled, cooked and mashed

Preheat oven to 350 F.  In a medium mixing bowl combine butter and sugar with a mixer. Next, combine dry ingredients in a small bowl.  Blend in eggs, buttermilk, vanilla, ginger, cinnamon cooked sweet potatoes. Then, add all dry ingredients at once. Use wooden spoon to blend all ingredients well.

Spoon muffin batter into greased muffin tins ( I use muffin cups). Fill 2/3’s full and bake for 23-26 minutes.