Sweet Potato Muffins

I fully believe that any new experience for toddlers is a learning experience.  J is one week shy of 18 months old and he’s been helping me cook in one way or another for a while now. I’ll often let him stir or hand me things, but today was the first time that we sat down and really baked together.  Now, did he understand that we were making a concoction that will go in the oven to cook and then be his snack later…probably not.

But…

He got to practice his fine motor skills by pouring and stirring.  He was able to see how things change when you add your wet mixture to your dry mixture.  He smelled new smells, touched new textures, tasted new tastes, and heard new words…the learning experiences are endless!

Today we made sweet potato muffins.  I got this recipe from Weelicious.  You should really check out her recipes…they’re fabulous.

.
We gathered all our materials.

I measured…J poured…

and scooped…

and stirred.

We then mixed the wet and dry ingredients together and scooped the mixture into mini muffin pans. I didn’t get pictures of this…it’s a bit difficult to take pictures while cooking with a toddler….I’m happy I got any at all!

The finished product.  Can you guess which one J helped fill?  This is a bit of a messy activity…but oh so much fun!

How old were your kids when they started to help in the kitchen?

Mini Sweet Potato Muffins from Weelicious.

1 C All Purpose Flour (I used whole wheat)
1 C Old Fashioned Oats
1/3C Brown Sugar
1 Tsp Baking Powder
1/2 Tsp Baking Soda
1/2 Tsp Salt
1 Tsp Cinnamon
2 Large Eggs, wisked
1 C Sweet Potato Puree, cooked*  (I’ve also used store bought Gerber and it works well)
1/2 C Milk
1/4 C Oil
1 Tsp Vanilla Extract

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2, Place the first 7 ingredients in a bowl and whisk to combine
3. In a separate bowl whisk the remaining ingredients.
4. Slowly combine the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients just until they are combined (be careful not to over mix the batter)
5. Place 1 tbsp of batter in each cup of greased mini muffin tins and bake for 15 minutes
6. Serve
* To make sweet potato puree, bake sweet potatoes in a 400 degree oven for one hour, allow to cool, slice in half lengthwise and mash flesh with a fork until smooth.

~Amanda