Candied Yams with Brown Sugar (Printable)

Tender sweet potatoes baked in rich brown sugar butter syrup with warm cinnamon and nutmeg.

# What You'll Need:

→ Sweet Potatoes

01 - 4 large sweet potatoes (about 2 lbs), peeled and sliced into 1/2-inch rounds

→ Syrup

02 - 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
03 - 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
04 - 1/4 cup water
05 - 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
06 - 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
07 - 1/4 teaspoon salt
08 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

→ Optional Garnish

09 - 1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
10 - Mini marshmallows, for topping

# How To Make It:

01 - Preheat oven to 375°F. Lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking dish with butter or cooking spray.
02 - Place the sliced sweet potatoes in a single, even layer in the prepared baking dish, overlapping slightly if necessary.
03 - In a medium bowl, whisk together melted butter, brown sugar, water, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and vanilla extract until completely smooth and well combined.
04 - Pour the syrup mixture evenly over the sweet potatoes, ensuring all pieces are thoroughly coated.
05 - Cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes to steam the potatoes.
06 - Remove the foil and baste the sweet potatoes with the syrup from the bottom of the dish. Continue baking uncovered for 15 minutes until tender and the syrup is bubbling and thickened.
07 - If desired, sprinkle chopped pecans or walnuts and mini marshmallows over the top. Switch oven to broil and cook for 2-3 minutes until golden and toasted, watching closely to prevent burning.
08 - Allow the dish to cool for 5-10 minutes before serving to let the syrup thicken slightly.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • The syrup gets thick and glossy while the potatoes turn impossibly tender
  • It comes together in about fifteen minutes of actual hands-on time
  • Your house will smell like the inside of a really excellent bakery
02 -
  • Slicing your potatoes evenly is the difference between some pieces being perfectly tender and others staying stubbornly firm
  • The syrup will look thin going in but transforms into something glossy and thick while baking
  • If youre using marshmallows, watch them like a hawk under the broiler because they go from perfect to burned in seconds
03 -
  • Use a glass baking dish if you have one—you can see exactly how the syrup is thickening
  • Let the syrup cool for just a minute before pouring if it seems too thin to coat evenly
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