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.

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.

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!

-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.