Twice Baked Sweet Potato Casseroles

Thanksgiving has always been my favorite holiday.  Christmas is a close second, but as a foodie and cook I can’t get enough of Thanksgiving.  Growing up in my family I not only got the traditional Midwest recipes from my dads side of the family but I also got those amazing southern recipes that my moms side of the family brought to the table.  Fortunately, I would get to enjoy them both on the same Holiday each year.

One of my favorite side dishes at Thanksgiving is my moms southern sweet potato casserole.  Maybe it is a southern thing, but Thanksgiving is just not the same for me without a good sweet potato or candied yam casserole.  One summer when I was back up in Ohio visiting her, she made quite a few twice baked potatoes for future meals and froze them.  She always has enough food made up and put away to feed a small army.  When Thanksgiving rolled around I was looking over my recipes and saw the one for sweet potato casserole  and I remembered her twice baked potatoes.  Well you know me, I decided to combine some recipes and make one of my own.  I thought it would be kind of nice for everyone to have their own personal sweet potato casserole all wrapped up in it’s own skin.  After changing the recipe around about 10 times, I came up with what works best. Believe it or not, it’s not far off from a traditional sweet potato casserole recipe but I added something that I think just puts it over the top.  I added coconut and it complemented the traditional flavors so well.  Tell me what you think.

With my mother as my continued inspiration in so many of my recipes, I now have my own Thanksgiving tradition to share.  So now check out my recipe for twice baked sweet potato casseroles.

• 4 or 5 large sweet potatoes
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 6 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin spice
• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans
• 1/4 cup coconut
• 1 cup mini marshmallows (totally optional…mom loves them so I put them in the recipe for her.  I didn’t use them though…sorry mom)

Directions

1. Heat oven to 400° F. Pierce each sweet potato several times with the tines of a fork. Place the sweet potatoes on a rimmed baking sheet lined with foil. Bake until tender, about 45 minutes.
2. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Slice potatoes in half length wise and scoop out the potato.  Make sure you leave some meat in potato, as not to break the skin. Put in bowl and mash.  Be very careful, they are going to be steaming hot.  I use a large oven mitt to hold them as I scoop out the potato.
3. In a large bowl, mix together the sweet potato, white sugar, eggs, salt, butter, milk, pumpkin spice and vanilla extract. Mix until smooth.
4. Carefully dip this mixture back into the potato skins.  Remember, you’ve added more to the potatoes so they are going to be overflowing when you put them back into their skins.
5. In medium bowl, mix the brown sugar and flour together well. Next, cut in the butter until the mixture is coarse.  It will resemble wet clumpy sand. Stir in the pecans and coconut.
6. Sprinkle the mixture over the sweet potatoes.  Pack it all down just a bit.  Helps it from falling apart so much in oven.  Add the marshmallows to top if you are using them.
7. Bake in the preheated oven 30 minutes, or until the topping is lightly brown.

Now serve them to your family and guests.  I’m sure they will be amazed with them and think you went out of your way just for them.

Click picture below for a complete guide to my Thanksgiving recipes.