Energizer Bunny Muffins

Some foods just keep you going. And going. And going. These muffins (which also make a yummy little bread loaf as well) seriously keep you sated for hours. Perfect for when you have a long day ahead of you. This recipe has been tweaked, reshaped, altered and customized by me and my good friend; they are great to bring to work or on a road trip for a little treat that keeps everyone happy.

I feel like I have to keep making these, since my friend moved to Durango, CO. I miss her a lot, but these muffins remind me of fun times together. Despite the fact that she posts pictures of beautiful Colorado making me extremely envious of her, I still make these and think fondly of long nights chatting about history, the narrow-mindedness of high school students, and the spice girls.
Just a word of caution when making these - you might end up eating half of the batter before they make it to the oven...

Durango, CO; Photo by Sarah W.

Sweet Potato and Dark Chocolate Whole-Energy Muffin/Bread
(Recipe makes about 3 dozen mini muffins)
Ingredients:

• 2/3 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/3 cup all purpose flour
• 1 cup rolled oats
• 1/4 cup wheat germ
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 2 Tbs ground cinnamon*
• 1 tsp ground nutmeg*
• 1/2 tsp ground clove *
• 1/4 tsp ground ginger

• 1/4 cup granulated sugar (a little less than 1/4 actually)
• 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup plain, fat-free greek yogurt
• 1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 1 flax seed egg (instructions below)
• 2 tbs canola oil (or other mild flavored cooking oil - coconut would do nicely)
• 1 medium sweet potato (baked)
• 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 2 Tbs pure dark maple syrup

• 6 oz. (about a half of a bag) of semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips

*I like a LOT of flavor, so those ratios are just a suggestion... I personally add a little more depending on the strength of flavor in the spices.


Instructions:

1. Bake sweet potato by preheating the oven to 425ºF. 
1. Wrap the sweet potato in foil and bake for about 45-60 minutes at 425º.
   Meanwhile...
2. Prepare flax seed egg. Mix 1 Tbs ground flax seed with 3 Tbs of warm water in a small container or bowl. Shake or stir vigorously for about 20 seconds. Set it aside and let it reach the right consistency for about 30 minutes or more.
   
3. Cream together sugar, brown sugar, salt, and yogurt in a large mixing bowl. Add milk, flax seed egg, canola oil,  applesauce, vanilla, and maple syrup in a medium sized mixing bowl.
4. Combine the flour, oats, wheat germ, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, and ginger in a medium mixing bowl.
5. Remove the skin from the sweet potato and add to the wet mixture. Mash with a fork until it is smooth.
   Make sure you turn the oven down to 350ªF after taking the potato out.
6. Allow the potato to cool before adding the chocolate chips otherwise they will melt!
   Now is the time to...
7. Grease your muffin tins.
8. Add flour mixture slowly to the sweet potato mixture.
9. Add the chocolate chips and stir until just combined.
10. Spoon the batter into your chosen baking tin or dish.
11. Bake  for about 8-10 minutes (if you are doing mini muffins).
    If you like gooey little bite sized treats then bake them for about 8 minutes. If you like them solid and not gooey, bake for about 9-11 minutes. Watch them carefully!
    The larger the muffin tin you are using (medium to large size muffins) bake them for about 5 minutes longer, and test with a toothpick.

(These are suuuuuper good if you put them in the fridge. I love them when they are cold because the chocolate becomes a little harder and makes a nice texture)
 
So, let's be honest... how much batter was really left after you made these? I know you're lying if you say you made a full 3 dozen... ^_^