Candied yams with pecans and brown sugar

Sweet Potato Brown Sugar Pecan Bake is basically a dessert yet promoted as a "side dish." I love justification for eating delicious food. I tell myself....I am eating sweet potatoes and they are good for me as I savor every single bite.

It starts off with a sweet potato souffle, made with tender sweet potatoes, butter, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, cream, and eggs. You can't go wrong with those ingredients! The brown sugar pecan praline topping is made with butter, brown sugar, and pecans.

Years ago, we took a 10-day road trip through the South. We lived in Texas at the time and it was always my dream to visit the South -- the home of nice people and Southern hospitality. People seem to cook with a heavy dose of love and I couldn't wait to experience the southern charm.

Oh and it did not disappoint. We traveled up to Georgia and stayed in Savannah, the home of Paula Deen's famous restaurant.  I was like a kid in a candy store, waiting in a long line to get a taste of true Southern food. Everything was served buffet style and I filled my plate with fried chicken and sweet potato pecan casserole. I must have eaten 3 servings of sweet potato casserole because it was so amazing!

I had to recreate it at home and serve it at Thanksgiving dinner!

The key to making an out-of-this-world Sweet Potato Brown Sugar Pecan Bake is to focus on the sweet potatoes. Have you ever eaten a sweet potato casserole, just to be disappointed when underneath all the gooey crunchy topping the sweet potatoes are completely bland?

The solution is to add a heavy dose of vanilla, cinnamon, and sugar to the sweet potatoes. The vanilla notes really come through in this comforting dish.

When preparing the sweet potatoes, you need to cook them until tender before making the sweet potato souffle. Pierce the sweet potatoes with a fork all over and place in the oven at 400 degrees for 45 min - 1 hour. The easiest method is to microwave the sweet potatoes. Once again, pierce them all over with a fork and cook on high for 8-10 minutes, turning halfway.

You can also boil the sweet potatoes by placing in boiling water and cooking until tender -- about 20-25 minutes.

Sweet Potato Brown Sugar Pecan Bake made with cinnamon vanilla sweet potatoes and topped with pecan praline.

Prep Time 15 mins

Cook Time 20 mins

40 mins

Total Time 35 mins

Course Side Dish, Vegetable Side Dish, Vegetables

Cuisine American

Servings 8

Calories 498 kcal

• 6 Sweet Potatoes or Yams cooked and peeled
• 5 Tablespoons Butter melted
• ¾ cup Sugar
• 2 Eggs
• 2 teaspoons Vanilla
• 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• ¼ cup Heavy Cream or Milk
• Brown Sugar Pecan Praline Topping:
• 3 Tablespoons Butter softened
• 1 cup Brown Sugar
• ⅓ cup Flour
• 1 cup Pecans
• ¼ teaspoon Salt

• Preheat the oven to 400°.

• Cook sweet potatoes in oven, microwave, or boil until softened. Let cool slightly and peel.

• In a large bowl, combine the sweet potatoes, butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla, cinnamon, salt and cream or milk and mix until creamy.

• Pour the mixture into the prepared 9 x 13 baking dish.

• Topping: Combine the butter, brown sugar, flour, pecans, and salt in bowl. Sprinkle the topping over the sweet potato mixture.

• Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the topping is lightly golden brown.

Calories: 498kcalCarbohydrates: 72gProtein: 5gFat: 22gSaturated Fat: 9gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 74mgSodium: 517mgPotassium: 588mgFiber: 5gSugar: 53gVitamin A: 19181IUVitamin C: 19mgCalcium: 90mgIron: 2mg

Keyword brown sugar pecan sweet potatoes, brown sugar sweet potatoes, sweet potatoes

This Sweet Potato Brown Sugar Pecan Bake is going to be a huge hit at your Thanksgiving table. I hope that you have a wonderful weekend!

Happy Cooking! xo