Pecan Streusel Sweet Potato Spice Muffins

I’m kind of freaking out again….

It’s just, I woke up and realized we’re about to start the last month of the year and I’m caught in the storm of emotions that I think is familiar to most of you. I’m really excited (you don’t even know) about the holiday festivities but also a little tiny bit sad that time is speeding by so fast.

I’m going to everything in my power to make this an awesome holiday. My sister Liv has only been in Chile for one previous holiday season and it’s still really hard for her to get into the mood with it being summer and not having snow. Not to mention just being in a totally new setting where we have to start new traditions.

I feel like I need to give a TV show style recap here for those who have no clue what I’m talking about. [In a deep, masculine voice: Previously, on Gringalicious…. My parents move to Chile with their six unmarried kids and spend a year trying to figure out where to find quality coffee and cheddar cheese. Chaos mixes with utter boredom in a year that flies by in a blur. One year later oldest daughter and husband show up with baby #1 on the way and within a few months officially make my parents into grandparents………. 

So, there’s a bit more to it than that but you get the idea. That first Christmas without my big sis was super sad and hard because I’ve never had a holiday without her. I’m so happy that she’s here now, especially with Ryder. Oh, and since I’m already talking about baby Ryder I have to brag on him because I really don’t do it enough. He’s so stinkin’ smart it’s not even funny.

At nine months old he could walk across the room almost every time without falling. I think I already mentioned recently that this is his first holiday season and that’s a huge part of why I really want this holiday season to be special for Liv (Ryder too, but he won’t be the one to remember it). Liv and I share almost every favorite holiday memory and nostalgic moment from being the first two kids in our fam. Every time I have the urge to make an obscure movie quote I know she’s the one most likely to get it.

Yep, even though dreaming of a white Christmas isn’t much use it can still smell and taste like it should. That’s where I come in and I think muffins are a really good place to start. Muffins, muffins, muffins! I just want to sing about muffins sometimes, don’t you? They deserve an ode for just being real. Marvelous muffins, you make my mornings much more meaningful by matching melt-in-mouth moisture with mind-blowing magic in a most magnificent marriage with every morsel, moreover meritting my most mesmerized monomania! I think you can tell I like muffins.

If you think sweet potato is an odd ingredient to put in a muffin, think again. Sweet potatoes are one of my favorite things to use in Fall baking because they are already really sweet and they make everything fluffy and soft. I know I could have left these at plain muffins, but come on, everyon loves a little streusel on top, admit it. Pecans are something that I really appreciate because they aren’t grown here in Chile but I had to include some because they’re just the best nut for the job of finishing off these muffins!

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