Foodie Love: Sweet Potato Muffins

As we edge closer and closer to the official first day of fall, I'm already beginning to dust off my favorite autumn and winter recipes and just had to share this one with you. This one is courtesy of my friend Chef Rick Manson, who is the executive chef at the Far Western Tavern (featured by Sunset Magazine as one of the top ten steakhouses in the West) here on the Central Coast. When Chef Rick closed his namesake restaurant early last year, I was heartbroken (his restaurant hosted my yearly birthday dinners, date nights with Parker, and our wedding rehearsal dinner, to name just a few events). These muffins were in his bread baskets at the restaurant (along with the best yeast rolls ever- still trying to get the recipe for those!) and they were always a fantastic start to what would surely be a delicious meal.

As I was baking them this morning, I was loving the smell of cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon, and allspice in the house- it definitely had me feelin' fall! Here's the recipe for these amazing muffins:

Chef Rick's Sweet Potato Muffins

Ingredients

1/2 cup granulated sugar
7 ounces butter, softened

3 eggs

1 pound sweet potato, baked and pulp removed from skin (note: I baked the sweet potato in a foil lined baking dish for an hour at 400° F but I would recommend maybe another fifteen minutes to make sure the potato is nice and mushy)

2 cups all-purpose flour

Can the oven bake any faster?!

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon ground allspice

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground cloves

1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1. In a bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar at medium speed for about 3 minutes or until mixture is light and fluffy.

2.  Add the eggs and sweet potatoes and mix for 3-4 minutes or until the mixture is smooth, stopping the mixer to scrape down the bowl once or twice.

3.  Sift the remaining ingredients together in a separate bowl then add them to the sweet potato mixture.  Beat only long enough to blend the ingredients.  Over beating will result in tough muffins!

4. Spoon the mixture into 12 greased muffin cups.  Bake at 350° F until golden brown and tops spring back when gently touched.  Remove from pan.  Muffins are absolutely delicious served warm or at room temperature.

If you try this recipe, I'd love to hear what you think.
Also, what are your favorite fall recipes?