Candied Yams Sweet Potatoes (Printable)

Sweet potatoes baked in a spiced brown sugar and butter sauce with optional nut or marshmallow topping.

# What You'll Need:

→ Sweet Potatoes

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

→ Syrup

02 - 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
03 - 1 cup packed light brown sugar
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 (optional)

# How-To Steps:

01 - Preheat the oven to 375°F. Lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking dish.
02 - Place the sliced sweet potatoes evenly in the prepared baking dish.
03 - Whisk together melted butter, brown sugar, water, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and vanilla extract in a medium bowl until smooth.
04 - Pour the syrup evenly over the sweet potatoes, ensuring each piece is fully coated.
05 - Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes.
06 - Remove foil, baste sweet potatoes gently with syrup, and bake uncovered for 15 minutes until tender and syrup is thickened and bubbling.
07 - Sprinkle with chopped nuts or mini marshmallows if desired, then broil for 2 to 3 minutes until golden, watching carefully to avoid burning.
08 - Allow to cool slightly before serving.

# Expert Suggestions:

01 -
  • The syrup creates this incredible sticky glaze that people literally scrape off the bottom of the pan
  • It's deceptively simple but tastes like something that took hours to perfect
  • The warm spices make everything taste like coziness itself
02 -
  • Don't skip the foil step because uncovered sweet potatoes can get weirdly dry before they cook through
  • That broiler stage is the difference between good candied yams and the ones people talk about for years
03 -
  • Use light brown sugar instead of dark for a more subtle molasses flavor
  • If your sweet potatoes are huge, cut the rounds in half so everything cooks evenly
Return