I avoided sweet potatoes like the plague when I was younger. I couldn’t get past the marshmallow topping and the orange color. They just weren’t for me.
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That was until my cousin transformed them into an AMAZING dessert. Or side dish. Really it could go both ways.
We had a pre-Thanksgiving Thanksgiving dinner with my bible study a few weeks ago and I signed up to bring the sweet potatoes.
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These did not disappoint.
I couldn’t get my cousin’s recipe in time so I adapted these from my hero, The Pioneer Woman. Her recipes never steer me wrong. With the addition of coconut and a hint of cinnamon, these are bound to be a regular on your dinner table. Enjoy!
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-Kelly
Ingredients
- 4 medium sweet potatoes
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup milk
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 tsp salt
- sprinkle of cinnamon
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 cup pecans, chopped
- 1/2 cup flour
- 3/4 sticks butter, softened
- 2 cups coconut
Directions:
Wash 4 medium sweet potatoes and bake them in a 375-degree oven until fork tender, about 30-35 minutes.
When they are finished cooking slice them open and scrape out the flesh into a large bowl. I pulsed them in a blender until they were mostly smooth but slightly chunky before I went to the next step
Add granulated sugar, milk, eggs, vanilla extract, salt, sprinkle of cinnamon and 1 cup coconut. Mix until well incorporated.
For the Topping:
In a separate bowl, add brown sugar, pecans, flour, 1 cup coconut and 2 sticks of softened butter. Mash together until well incorporated.
Spread the sweet potato mixture into a regular baking dish (that has been coated with cooking spray) and sprinkle the crumb mixture all over the top.
Bake in a 400-degree oven for 30 minutes, or until golden brown.