Chipotle-Scented Sweet Potato Corn Muffins…in a Jiffy

 

I just can’t seem to get on the pumpkin bandwagon this year.  Everywhere you look, things have been pumpkin-ized. It’s not new, Starbucks has done a pumpkin spice latte for years, I can remember 31 Flavors doing a pumpkin pie ice cream when I was a kid,  but I must be spending too much time in the aisles at Trader Joe’s, because I already have pumpkin fatigue.   Pumpkin spice chai, pumpkin bread, pumpkin pancake and waffle mix, pumpkin macarons, pumpkin yogurt, pumpkin cream cheese. Pumpkin, pumpkin, pumpkin (Marsha, Marsha, Marsha)! And I know when you saw these muffins, you thought pumpkin, right? Nope.  Sweet potato.  Chipotle and cinnamon-scented sweet potato corn muffins.

And here’s the shortcut that’s gonna make these a snap — the good ol’ Jiffy box.  After being home for the weekend during my freshman year in college, I’d bring back a bag of Jiffy cornbread muffins to eat for breakfast. It was a taste of home for about 50 cents. These days, I regularly doctor up the mix to go with chili, adding yogurt and sometimes minced jalapeno, but today we’re taking this pantry staple even further with a couple of shakes from the spice cabinet, some buttermilk and a little sweet potato puree.

You could bake up a yam and mash it yourself, but I like the super smooth texture of the canned here. The overall effect of the spices is subtle — the chipotle adds a hint of smokiness, the cinnamon a little sweetness. I kept it light, knowing I intended to add a schmear of chipotle jam. Want to keep it a little closer to sweet potato casserole? Add a little nutmeg, clove and maybe even a little allspice.