Maw Maw's Sweet Potato Casserole Cupcakes

This week, I am cracking down.  Thats right.  What do I mean?  Sweet Potato Casserole Cupcakes, of course.  Everyone knows that it is a staple to have some type of potato dish on the Thanksgiving table.  Rather it be mashed potatoes, mashed sweet potatoes, potatoes au gratin (if you like to be fancy), or my favorite, my grandmothers sweet potato casserole.  I can't tell you a time where we made a holiday meal and these weren't on the table.  It's true, sweet potato casserole is a holiday staple in my household.  Even the sweet potato haters can't hate this casserole.  It's a side dish that's a dessert, a dessert that's a side dish!

I decided to take this baby and make it into a real dessert.  Right now you are probably thinking this is the most disgusting idea.  Why take a perfectly good side dish and turn it into dessert, you ask?  Because why not.  If you like pumpkin or carrot cake, you will like these just as much!  It's a new spin on an old classic.  I bet most of you are thinking, right now, about a new dessert that you want to bring to the Thanksgiving table.  Can't decide between mashed potatoes or sweet potatoes?  Make the mashed potatoes and make these for dessert.  You get the best of both worlds.

Sweet Potato Casserole Cupcakes
Makes 12 Cupcakes

1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/8 cup mashed sweet potato*
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1-2 eggs**
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon orange juice
12 large marshmallows



Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Line a muffin tin with paper muffin liners and set aside.

In a small bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, and baking soda.  Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, beat the sugar and butter together until light and fluffy.  It should look like scrambled eggs.  Add the sweet potatoes and blend together.  Then add the cinnamon and salt.  Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each.  Beat in the vanilla and orange juice.  Add the flour mixture and beat on low just until everything in combined.  Be careful of over mixing.

Pour into the muffin tin.  Bake immediately for about 18 mins.  Keeping the oven on, pull out the cupcakes and add the marshmallows on top, then continue cooking for about 3-5 mins until the marshmallows get light brown. Take out of oven and with a spoon gently press down on the marshmallows.  Let cool.

*You can buy canned sweet potato puree or you can make your own.  To make your own, just peel and cut about 1-2 large potatoes in large chunks.  Add the potatoes to a pot of water and cook over high heat until the potatoes are tender.  Then drain and mash.

**This recipe can either use one or two eggs depending on how dense you want the cupcakes.  One egg= lighter, airy cake.  Two eggs= more moist, denser cakes.

Variations: Try adding pecans into the mix before baking the cupcakes and sprinkling a little brown sugar on each of the marshmallows before browning them:)

This recipe was adapted from Better Homes and Gardens Sweet Potato Cupcakes Recipe and from my Grandmother's Sweet Potato Casserole Dish