Hi, Friends!How are you doing these busy pre-Thanksgiving days? And does thinking about all the beautiful Thanksgiving yummies cheer you up as it’s getting chillier outside? Because it totally makes me feel all warm&fuzzy inside!
And now after I hopefully encouraged you to believe that it’s very possible to stay healthy and fit this Holiday Season in my Healthy Holiday Series post… Now let’s talk about the fun part! The YUMMY Thanksgiving TREATS!
…Today let it be this recipe for…
The Healthy Impossible Sweet Potato Pie Cupcakes with the Healthy Marshmallow Meringue Frosting!
And here’s how the idea to make these came to me…When I was looking around the World Wide Web for my pre-Holiday inspiration, I was almost certain that I’ll be making a Pumpkin Pie! But… let me tell you, there are SO MANY Pumpkin Pie recipes out there! And besides… my last Chocolate Pumpkin Brownies recipe post was all about my favorite pumpkin…
But then a brilliant idea stroke me:But why not make a Sweet Potato Dessert instead? Besides… Most Pumpkin Pie Recipes suggest serving it with either the whipped cream or the Cool Whip. …Not something that I’m be very excited about doing since both these indulgent toppings also land tons of sugar, fat and… yeah, calories!
But the sweet potato… You usually top the sweet potato yummies with a marshmallowy topping, right? So why don’t I make my own, favorite, MERINGUE-BASED healthy marshmallow topping instead?
Decided! And here they are:
- The Low-Fat (no whipped cream here),
- Low-Sugar (it’s the meringue, not the pure-sugary marshmallow, remember?),
- Crustless,
- Healthy,
- Sweet… Sweet Potato Cupcakes!
Also if you’re in a pre-Holiday cooking pinch, amazing Cupcakes may be your much-needed answer to the no-time-to-cook problem because to make them all you need is to put all the ingredients in the blender… And your batter is DONE!
As for the Meringue Frosting I’ve provided both “takes some time to make” and the “super-speedy” versions of it.
Finally I also included the Paleo, Gluten-Free and Vegan versions of this recipe so that everyone, no matter what their food preferences are could enjoy this ultimate Holiday Treat! 🙂So… what speaks Thanksgiving to you the most: a Pumpkin or a Sweet Potato Dessert?
- 1 1/2 cups sweet potato puree
- 3/4 cup Fat Free Evaporated Milk
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup cane sugar
- 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
- 1 tsp oil
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 large egg whites
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp cream of tartar
- Preheat your oven to 350 F. Oil your cupcake pan and dust it with some flour. Or just line it with the baking cups.
- Put all the cupcake batter ingredients in a blender and blend until all the ingredients are smoothly incorporated.
- Fill each cupcake cup with about 3/4 of the batter.
- Bake for about 30 minutes or until the toothpick inserted in t he middle of a cupcake comes out clean.
- Let the cupcakes cool first on the countertop and then in the fridge.
- In the meantime make the marshmallow frosting. In a heatproof bowl, whisk together the egg whites, cream of tartar, vanilla and sugar. Place the bowl over a pot with simmering water, making sure the hot water doesn't touch the bowl. Stir the egg white mixture until the sugar has dissolved (when you rub some of the mixture between your fingers it doesn't appear grainy). Keep whisking the mixture until it reaches about 160°F. Take the mixture off the heat. Beat the warm meringue until it has cooled to room temperature (about 7 minutes).
- When the cupcakes had cooled down pipe the meringue frosting on top of the cupcakes and, if desired sprinkle with some additional cinnamon.
For the Super-Speedy Version don't make the "7-minute Frosting" and just whip the egg whites (for this version I like using the pasteurized egg whites) and the cream of tartar until the soft peeks form. Start adding the sugar, a teaspoon at a time and keep beating until the sugar is dissolved and the egg whites hold the stiff peeks (just a few minutes more). The only warning with this version is that this meringue won't hold its shape for a very long time. You need to make it right before serving the cupcakes.
For the Gluten-Free Version substitute the wheat flour for the oat flour.
For the Paleo Version substitute the wheat flour for the coconut flour.
For the Vegan Version omit the eggs in the Cupcakes Batter and instead use the mix of 2 tbsp of ground flax seeds with 2 tbsp of water. For the Vegan Meringue omit the egg whites and use 1/3 of Aquafaba (the liquid from the canned chickpeas). I'll be honest with you: I haven't made a 7-minute frosting with the Aquafaba (where you need to cook the meringue before beating it), but you can just beat the Aquafaba and sugar and top the cupcakes with your Vegan Meringue right before enjoying them!
🙂
Oh my goodness, what a delicious treat! Hard to believe these cupcake are healthy too? Maybe it’s because they are so beautiful! Happy Thanksgiving to you!
Thank you SO MUCH, Debra for your kind words! And… yes, I believe that they can be categorized as Healthy because aside from a little bit of sugar in them (but I don’t think that a little bit can hurt anyone. Especially if that sugar is natural and there isn’t a TON of it!) the rest of the ingredients are super-nutritious and antioxidant&vitamin-rich (that’s why I love all the fall baking: it seems that no matter what you make with sweet potatoes or pumpkins will be good for you and will taste good, too!) And I also LOVE making everything that involves meringue! Because meringue is non-fat and always comes out delicious! 🙂