Cupcakes vs. Muffins
Today let’s discuss the difference between cupcakes and muffins. Cupcakes and muffins can look very similar, but the difference lies in the way they are made, and their ingredients. Cupcakes are just small cakes. They are made like a cake by creaming together butter and sugar and mixing in eggs then flour. They can have candy added and nearly always have icing on top.
Muffins are made like a quick bread, combining wet and dry ingredients separately and then briefly mixing them together. Every recipe should say do not mix too much. Any fat will usually be added to the wet ingredients as oil or melted butter. They rely on leavening (baking powder, baking soda or both) to make them light and airy. They can be lower in fat and sugar than cupcakes (but aren’t always). If you buy muffins at a commercial bakery, you are probably getting too much sugar and fat. Muffins are thought of as breakfast, lunch or a snack; they should not made as sweet as dessert.
My recipe today is for a deceptively nutritious muffin combining mashed sweet potato with flour, eggs, cocoa, milk, olive oil, maple syrup, and chocolate chips. For dairy free use plain soy milk or almond milk. Bake an extra sweet potato for dinner one night and use it for muffins the next day. The kids will never guess that sweet potato is in the muffins, but you’ll know they’re getting a little veggie in their breakfast or snack. These are great to take to work or school for lunch. You’ll feel like you’re eating a treat for your mid-day meal. I only use real maple syrup to sweeten (not a sugar syrup with maple flavor) and real vanilla extract (not an artificially flavored vanilla extract). Natural flavors have complex tastes unlike artificial flavors.
Chocolate Sweet Potato Muffins
Use organic when available. Makes about a fifteen or sixteen muffins.
Chocolate Sweet Potato Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 cup baked sweet potato mashed (or boiled)
- 3/4 cup milk or plain soy milk
- 1/2 cup real maple syrup
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp real vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup cocoa
- 2 cups flour
- 4 tsp baking powder
- 1/3 cup dark chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F or 180 C
- Line muffin cups with liners
- In large bowl combine wet ingredients and mashed sweet potato with whisk
- Add baking soda to flour and cocoa in another bowl; whisk
- Add flour mix a little at a time until just combined with wet mix
- Gently fold in chocolate chips but do not over mix
- Evenly spoon into muffin tin about 3/4 full
- Bake 15 minutes or until tooth pick pushed in middle comes out clean
- Cool 5 minutes and then transfer to cooling rack
- Muffins cooled completely can be stored in air tight container or reusable ziplock bag.
Enjoy!
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I would have never have thought of using sweet potato in chocolate muffins. It’s a good way to get some extra veggies into the kids as all they’ll see it the chocolate part. hehehe x
Great idea! They look great.
thanks – Happy Halloween!
I’ve added courgette, carrots and beetroot to muffins but never sweet potato. These sound really tasty, I guess the sweet flavour comes from the potato :o)
#MMBC
It’s not as sweet as dessert but does have a nice sweet flavor from the sweet potato and maple syrup. Thanks for the visit!
Oh, that is a fine recipe, dear Carol! I like sweet potatoes very much. They don’t have a tradition in Austria, but we got to know them while traveling and for a few years now they have also been available in local supermarkets because of their health benefits and special taste. I always look forward to good sweet potato recipes. I usually love pairing them with spicy sauces (garlic, chili, onions etc.), but I love these muffins, too.
Thank you for your warm words about our farewell to Nina and your comment on my latest sign of life!
I wish you a good start into November!
All the best from Austria,
Traude
PS: By the way, I only ever use real maple syrup and real vanilla, too.
You’re an accomplished cook and I would expect you have wonderful maple syrup in the stores. Here in America many people use maple flavored syrup but I like the real thing! Have a wonderful day!
I’ve used carrots and courgettes in muffins but never sweet potato. These sound really interesting and I’ve pinned them for later.
Thanks for the pin – Happy Monday!
A friend has been baking these kind of recipes with vegetables, but I’m not too sure myself. Maybe I should give this one a go!
If you like banana bread or carrot cake, stretch a little to include some other veggies.
Chocolate and sweet potatoes sound like a great combination. I never thought of adding sweet potatoes into muffins. This sounds great and I would like to try.
Thanks for sharing.
thanks Amila – have a wonderful day!
Sweet potato is such a wonderful addition to a muffin for moistness. I actually have 2 cooked sweet potatoes in the fridge. This recipe would be perfect to finish them up. Thanks
I hope you love them – they are moist and tasty.
How ingeneous – I gotto try out this recipe – thanks Carol!
thanks – I hope you enjoy it!
I might have to try that with sweet potatoes. They are on offer at our local Aldi this week. Thanks Carol.
I hope you like them Phil. Have a great day filled with birds.
That sounds like a great way to sneak something healthy into the kids’ chocolate. Me? Not a chocolate fan in general (a few exceptions!)
Well try sweet potato muffins without the chocolate. or sweet potato quick bread. Happy November!
What a great combo. I much prefer the taste of sweet potatoes over pumpkin. Thank you for sharing at #aclwcc. Pinned and tweeted. Hugs.
thank you Clearissa for being such a supportive friend
That sounds delicious! I like finding ways like this to sneak veggies into my boys’ diets. Pinned.
thanks for the pin Joanne – have a great weekend!
Thank you for clearing up the difference between muffins and cupcakes for me! I always struggle a bit with knowing which word to use when I bake something muffin-shaped. I grew up in Sweden, and there we call all of them ‘muffins’, whether sweet or savory. So I tend to call everything muffins, but am learning to use ‘cupcakes’ more now 🙂 This muffins recipe sounds delicious! x
Many Americans make the same mistake. I think you’ll like the taste with the sweet potato in it.
Muffins are my favorite treats. Just the right amount of sweetness!