gluten free five spice muffins

i can't say that i've had much experience with gluten free cooking,
but because i have lots of friends with food allergies
AND i'm always up for trying something new,
i tried my hand at these gluten free muffins this past weekend.
they made an appearance at my dear friend's baby shower,
which you'll see on the blog tomorrow :)

i have to admit, i was skeptical...
a sweet potato? olive oil? maple syrup?

you guys - they were pretty freaking good.
in fact, i thought they were delicious!

would make them again in a heartbeat, and would double the recipe next time.

recipe via it's all good

yields 12 muffins

ingredients

1 large sweet potato

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk

3/4 good quality maple syrup, 

plus 2 tablespoons for brushing the muffins

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups gluten free flour

(if the flour doesn't include xanthan gum, add 1 teaspoon)

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoons baking soda

1 1/2 tablespoons chinese five-spice powder
you can buy this pre-made or mix it up yourself

1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

directions

1. preheat oven to 400 degrees

prick sweet potato 7-10 times with a knife.

bake until soft (when a knife can cut through with zero resistance), about 1 hour.

set the sweet potato aside until it's completely cool.

2. peel sweet potato, discard skin and mash in a mixing bowl.

whisk olive oil, almond milk, maple syrup, and vanilla into the sweet potato.

3. in a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, 

five-spice powder, and salt. fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.

4. line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners and evenly distribute the muffin batter among the cups.

bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean, 

brushing the tops with the extra maple syrup during the last 5 minutes of baking. 

let the muffins cool before serving