SWEET POTATO CASSEROLE MUFFINS

Steps:

• Position oven rack in center position. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
• Prick the potato in several places with a fork. Lay a piece of tin foil on your oven rack to catch the drips. Place the sweet potato on the foil. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until soft. Transfer the sweet potato to a wire rack an cool for 10 minutes.
• Leave the oven on at 400°F (The potato can be baked up to 48 hours ahead of time, cool it completely, and tightly wrap it in plastic wrap, and store in the refrigerator.).
• Meanwhile, prepare the muffin pans. Spray the cups and the rims that surround them with the cooking spray. If using paper cups, drop them in the holes. If using silicon muffin tins, spray as directed and put them on a cookie sheet.
• Whisk the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, baking powder, salt, nutmeg, marshmallows and dried pineapple in a medium bowl until well mixed. Set aside.
• Peel the potato and measure out 1 cup of the cooked potato. Place in a large bowl. (Reserve any additional sweet potato for later use.) Whisk in the egg and melted butter until smooth. Whisk in the maple syrup, milk and lemon juice. Stir in the flour mixture with a wooden spoon only until moistened, but also so that the batter is uniform with no streaks of sweet potato.
• Fill the prepared muffin tins 3/4 full. Use any excess batter for a second baking or discard. Bake for 20 minutes, or until the muffins are well browned, with rounded, cracked tops. A toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin should come out with a few moist crumbs attached.
• Set the pan on a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes. Gently rock each muffin back and forth to release it from the pan and then set on the wire rack to cool for 5 minutes more before serving. If storing or freezing them, cool completely before putting them into an air tight container, or in freezer safe plastic bags. The muffins will stay fresh for up to 2 days at room temperature or up to 3 months in the freezer.