(Paleo) Pecan Sweet Potato Muffins

I am, without a better way to put it, swimming in pecans.
Dismayed by the price of nuts everywhere in my hood, but determined enough that this wasn’t going to keep me from baking with them, I asked a friend out in the ‘burbs — a place where people would never ever pay $6.99+tax for a microscopic 6 ounces of pecans — to see if he could better.
He came back with three pounds for less then $20 from Costco.
Which is, to put it mildly, awesome.

With all this pecan-bonanza it was time to break out the big guns, a recipe sure to be a winner. Pounds of pecans would disappear at an almost dangerous pace and the only thing left to do (besides back-to-back Crossfit workouts) would be to ask my friend to go back to Costco again.

Without apology here’s the recipe for some legit (Paleo) Pecan Sweet Potato Muffins.
This is like sweet potato pie, in muffin form and healthy.
Seriously people, sweet potatoes are vitamin-rich, there are 7 science-backed reasons we should all be having more cinnamon, pecans are high in healthy unsaturated fat, and with the eggs you get plenty of protein.
Perfection.

These muffins are fluffy and perfectly spiced. Sweet, but not too sweet. Moist and with the perfect amount of crunch. In a word: DELISH.
Make ’em happen.

(Paleo) Pecan Sweet Potato Muffins                                                                                               Print this recipe!
Adapted, just a little, from Leelaliciuos

Ingredients
Makes 12 muffins

½ coconut flour (I used Bob’s Red Mill)
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
Pinch fine grain salt
4 eggs, at room temperature
1 cup sweet potato puree (about 1 medium sweet potato)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup coconut oil, melted
¼ cup maple syrup (or mild tasting honey)
½ cup pecans (or walnuts), roughly chopped
12 pecans for garnish

Directions

Preheat oven to 400°F (205°C) and place a rack in the middle.
Line or grease a muffin and set aside.
In a bowl whisk together coconut flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, and salt.
In another bowl beat eggs, sweet potato puree, vanilla extract, coconut oil, and maple syrup (or honey) until smooth.
Fold in dry ingredients and stir until all lumps are gone. Fold in chopped pecans.
Evenly divide batter into muffin pan to make a total of twelve muffins. Top each muffin with a pecan and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Let cool completely on rack before removing. You may need to run a small knife (or a spatula) around the edge of each muffin tin to help remove them easily.

Nutrition facts

One serving yields 177 calories, 15 grams of fat, 12 grams of carbs, and 4 grams of protein.