Chef John's Sweet Potato Muffins

Ingredients

• cooking spray
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 0.5 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1 pinch freshly grated nutmeg
• 1.5 cups white sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 0.5 cups light brown sugar
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 0.25 cups unsalted butter , melted
• 2 cups mashed sweet potato , yams
• 1 cup chopped pecans , plus more for topping
• 2 teaspoons Demerara sugar for topping

Instructions

1. 1

   Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line two 12-cup muffin tins with paper liners; coat with cooking spray.

2. 2

   Whisk flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, baking soda, ground ginger, and nutmeg together in a mixing bowl.

3. 3

   Whisk white sugar, eggs, and brown sugar together in a separate bowl until light and foamy, about 2 minutes. Whisk in vegetable oil and melted butter until thoroughly combined. Add mashed sweet potatoes and 1 cup pecans; stir to combine. Stir in flour mixture until no dried flour remains, about 1 minute. Let batter rest 10 minutes.

4. 4

   Spoon batter into the prepared muffin cups, filling each about 3/4 full. Sprinkle tops with pecans and Demerara sugar.

5. 5

   Bake until a toothpick inserted in centers of muffins comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Cool in tins about 10 minutes; transfer muffins to a cooling rack to cool completely.