An exercise in mental adaptability

Some say baking is more of a science than an art - if you follow the procedures precisely and with fidelity, you should get predictable results. Baking recipes are known to be a little more precise and specific than cooking often is. If you add a little too much or too little baking powder, for instance, this may dramatically affect the rise and texture. In contrast, adding a little more or less garlic to a soup will certainly affect the taste, but not as irrevocably or dramatically.

This is why scientists write out detailed procedures in their scientific articles, so that other scientists can feasibly replicate their results. And, that’s what I try to do here too - tests out recipes, detail my adaptations to be free of dairy, so that you can better know what to expect.

However, life is not always as straightforward. Sometimes you don’t have all the ingredients listed in a recipe on hand. Sometimes your tastes differ. Whether from external limitations or internal drive to be different, exercising mental flexibility can allow us freedom to explore. A knowledge of the rules, and awareness of why they work and why sometimes they don’t, is an important prerequisite.

Hypothesis 1: This sweet potato muffin recipe would be feasible even with some modifications, based on what I had on hand.

Hypothesis 2: Despite these modifications, the muffins will turn out delectable and make for a delicious and nutritious snack for me and the Littlest Reviewer.

Method

Recipe Source:

Delicious Sweet Potato Muffins from allrecipes

What excited me about this recipe is naturally free of dairy, so no allergen modifications were needed for me! However, I still made the following changes:

Modifications:

This recipe calls for 2 eggs, but I had just one. I replaced the second egg with more banana, about 1/3 of a large size banana.
Instead of cooked mashed sweet potato, I used a tub of sweet potato baby food (Gerber brand). That was only a half of a cup, so I added even more banana, per the suggestion from the recipe author’s notes at the bottom of the recipe.
Also per the suggestions in the comments, I swapped out regular sugar for brown sugar, purely for the depth of flavor and no other reason.
I also omitted the pecans, because I didn’t have any and it made it easier for the Littlest Reviewer to enjoy anyway.
Also because of taste preferences, I used canola oil instead of olive oil.

Procedures:

This is a pretty straightforward muffin / quick bread recipe. Mix the wet, mix the dry ingredients, and then mix the two together gently before dividing into your muffin tin.

Results

Discussion

These muffins were pretty good! They were moist and tender, and my littlest Reviewer gobbled them up. They’re not overly sweet so they would be really great for a breakfast or snack.

I was able to make a muffin shape and texture with quite a few modifications, so I’d say Hypothesis 1 was a success. Since they were pretty yummy and Littlest Reviewer reliably ate them up, I’d say Hypothesis 2 was well supported, too.

I think these modifications worked because I balanced creativity with being thoughtful and intentional about my substitutions. For instance, replacing one of the eggs with banana made sense because part of the egg’s function is to bind and moisten, which the banana can do as well. The egg does more things, so replacing both eggs with banana may not have worked as well. Unlike a cookie, where brown and granulated sugar make a bigger difference in texture, replacing it in a muffin did not seem to make a significant impact. Mental flexibility can work similarly, with understanding and adapting to different situations by knowing yourself balanced with the capacity to see things in a new way.

Allergen statement:

This recipe is already free from dairy, both as originally written and with my adaptations. It is also easy to omit the pecans to be nut-free. There are eggs, but it is easy to substitute one of them with banana (as described above) and the other could be a flax egg.

Future directions:

These muffins do freeze well, so make them now, freeze some (or make a double batch), and your future self will thank you! Simply allow them to defrost on the counter for a little while, or place in the microwave for a few seconds.

Next time, I may add more seasonal spices, or try the original recipe with more sweet potato, to have more classic fall flavors.

Drop a comment here or on Instagram @dairyfreewithemily!

Sweet Potato Muffins