Vanilla Parsnip Sprinkles Muffins

Makes about 20 muffins.

Ingredients:

2 cup organic unbleached white flour
½ cup organic cane sugar
2 slightly rounded teaspoons of baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon finely ground sea salt
3 small organic parsnips
2 large organic free-range eggs
½ cup organic whole milk
½ cup organic low fat vanilla yogurt
2 ½ teaspoons organic pure vanilla extract
½ teaspoon organic almond extract
¼ cup organic honey
¼ cup sunflower oil
1 cup colorful sprinkles (Rainbow Jimmies)

Instructions:

1.     Preheat the oven to 350F.
2.     Line a muffin pan with colorful liners (or grease)
3.     In a large mixing bowl, sift the dry ingredients together (flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt).
4.     Rinse, peel and chop 3 medium parsnips into 1” chunks.
5.     Boil them until they’re soft (about 20 minutes).
6.     Meanwhile, in a separate bowl, whisk the eggs with the milk, yogurt an extract.
7.     When the parsnips are soft, put them in a food processor with the honey and the oil and purée until they are the consistency of creamy mashed potatoes.
8.     Add the purée mixture (it will be about 1 cup) to the liquid mixture and whisk until creamy.
9.     Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients, and add the liquid ingredients to it, blending gently. Don’t over mix the batter.
10. Gently fold in the Rainbow Jimmies.
11. Fill the muffin liners ¾ of the way.
12. Bake for 16 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
13. Cool on a wire rack, then core and top with Vanilla Whipped Cream and Rainbow Jimmies.

Vanilla Whipped Cream

Ingredients:

1 pint heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
2 teaspoons organic pure vanilla extract

Instructions:

1.     Chill a metal mixing bowl and metal beaters in the freezer before using.
2.     Whip cream until it forms soft peaks.
3.     Add the powdered sugar and continue to whip until slightly harder peaks form.
4.     Add the vanilla extract, whip until combined. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Shortcut: use canned whipped cream.