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Japanese Sweet Potato and Sesame Muffins

These sweet and delicious vegan muffins are made with caramelly Japanese roasted sweet potatoes and nutty sesame seeds.
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Prep Time:20 minutes
Cook Time:30 minutes
Servings: 10 muffins

Ingredients

  • 240 grams roasted Japanese sweet potato1 (yakiimo 焼き芋) about 1 medium
  • 225 ml soy milk
  • 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
  • 72 grams (6 tbsp) granulated sugar
  • 60 grams (¼ cup) roasted sesame seed paste*2
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 tsp ground flaxseed

Dry Ingredients

  • 190 grams white whole wheat flour* or all purpose flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • ¼ tsp baking soda
  • 2 tbsp roasted black sesame seeds

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 425°F/215°C. Line or grease a muffin pan.
  • In a large mixing bowl, mash roasted sweet potato until mostly smooth (a few small lumps are fine).
  • Whisk in remaining wet ingredients (soy milk, vinegar, sugar, sesame paste, vanilla extract, and ground flaxseeds).
  • In a separate bowl, sift flour, baking powder, and baking soda and whisk to combine.
  • Add the flour mixture and sesame seeds to the wet ingredients, then fold together to a form a thick batter. Be careful not to overmix.
  • Transfer the batter into your prepared muffin tins. If you have leftover roasted sweet potato, you can cut some into small chunks and add to the batter.
  • Bake at 425°F/215°C for 5 minutes, then lower the heat to 350°F/180°C for 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean or with some moist crumbs (but not wet batter).
  • Cool in the muffin pan for 5 minutes, then remove the muffins and place on a wire rack to cool completely.

Notes

1) To roast Japanese sweet potatoes, wash the skin, pat dry, and bake in the oven at 350°F for about 1 hour or until soft. You can test the doneness by inserting a skewer or knife through the center of the potato. If it slides in easily, the potato is ready. Then let the sweet potato cool completely (I recommend roasting the sweet potato the day before). Some Japanese markets sell roasted sweet potatoes (yakiimo 焼き芋) if you’re lucky enough to find one!
2) You can also make your own sesame paste by lightly toasting sesame seeds in a pan, then blending in a food processor until smooth.