Easy Sweet Potato Cookies
I LOVE creating baby recipes with sweet potato. It’s one of the perfect first foods as it’s easy to manage when cooked properly and so nutritious! These flavorful sweet potato cookies or cakes are soft and moist, easy to grab, and contain many essential nutrients, including iron, healthy fat, vitamin A, potassium, and fiber. Whether you’re doing baby led weaning or purees, this easy recipe is one you’ll want to have in your arsenal. These 3 Ingredient Banana Cookies and peanut butter chickpea cookies are pretty awesome too! And if your baby is teething, these homemade teething biscuits are made with the same ingredients minus the chickpeas.
Ingredients
I am highlighting just the ones that need further explanation. The complete list is in the recipe card below. Sweet Potatoes. Since it does take some time to cook, I highly encourage you to roast a bunch ahead of time. That way you can enjoy it throughout the week! You can also use other winter squash like butternut squash or pumpkin. Kabocha would be really good too! Ooh and purple sweet potatoes!! While fresh is better because it has more texture, you can use canned if looking for a shortcut. Just make sure sweet potatoes is the only ingredient. Chickpeas. Can also use any white bean. If using canned, look for no-salt-added. Related -EVERYTHING you need to know about cooking and serving chickpeas to Babies
How to Cook Sweet Potatoes
Roasting is by far the best way to cook this delicious vegetable for these cakes. Magic truly happens in the oven as the roasting process caramelizes the sweet potatoes bringing out their natural flavor and sweetness! While you meal prep, roast several to enjoy throughout the week. You can refrigerate for up to 5 days. This creamy sweet potato pasta sauce is a great way to use up leftover sweet potatoes. You can also skip this step and use sweet potato puree. Sweet Potatoes for Babies
Step By Step Instructions
- Add the oats to the food processor or blender first. Then add the rest of the ingredients except for chia seeds.
- Stir in chia seeds.
- Transfer the sweet potato mixture to a baking sheet. I like to use a small ice cream scooper, but you can also use a spoon.
- Working with slightly wet hands, gently push down the batter to flatten into small patties. Bake!
Tips for Success
Use room temperature or cold mashed sweet potatoes. The batter is pretty thick and sticky. So when it comes time to flatten the cookies slightly, wet your fingertips a little bit (not too much!). Be careful not to overcook. They just need to spend a little time in the oven to firm up. These cookies are not very sweet but plenty sweet for babies, who have more tastebuds than us adults. If you’d like a little extra hint of sweetness, you can add maple syrup, banana, unsweetened applesauce, or date syrup!
Serving Suggestions
As a dip
Oh you are so going to love this sweet potato mixture after all the ingredients have been blended together! Instead of turning it into cakes, you can serve as a dip with vegetables, sauce for pasta, or spread for bread/tortilla, to suggest a few ideas. You can add water, milk, or even breastmilk to thin out the batter to desired consistency.
Sweet Version
This moist cookie is not very sweet, although plenty sweet for babies and toddlers. If you desire more sweetness, you can add 1/2 medium banana, 1-2 tablespoons of maple syrup, honey, or date syrup. Once baked, you can top with nut or seed butters for extra protein and/or healthy fat.
Savory Version
Top the baked cookie with a dollop of sour cream, cream cheese, or yogurt. You can also leave out the cinnamon and stir in 1/4 cup of grated cheese and chopped green onions prior to baking along with the chia seeds. Enjoy as a great side dish to any family dinner. You should also try these savory mini salmon cakes.
Storage Suggestions
Once cooled, transfer to an airtight container and keep on the counter for up to 2 days or store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. You can also flash freeze and keep in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight.
Other Baby-Friendly Sweet Potato Recipes
Vegetarian Sweet Potato Lasagna Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Carrots Creamy Sweet Potato Sauce One Pot Vegetarian Mexican Lentils Vegan African Peanut Stew
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