Description
Deliciously sweet and warmly spiced candied sweet potatoes baked to perfection with a rich maple syrup and brown sugar glaze, making a perfect side dish for holidays or any cozy meal.
Ingredients
Scale
Sweet Potatoes
- 5–6 medium sweet potatoes (3–4 lbs)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Sauce
- 1/2 cup (8 Tbsp; 113g) unsalted butter
- 1 Tablespoon (15ml) water
- 1/4 cup (60ml) pure maple syrup
- 1 cup (200g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Optional: 2 teaspoons orange zest
Garnish (Optional)
- Chopped fresh or dried rosemary
- Flaky sea salt
Instructions
- Prepare the sweet potatoes: Peel the sweet potatoes and slice them into 1/2 inch thick slices. Place the slices evenly in a greased 9×13-inch or other 3-quart baking dish. Sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon of salt over the sweet potatoes, then toss to coat evenly.
- Preheat the oven: Set your oven to preheat at 375°F (191°C) to get it ready for baking the sweet potatoes.
- Make the sauce: Cut the stick of butter in half to help it melt easier. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine the butter, water, maple syrup, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. Stir until the butter has melted, then stop stirring and bring the mixture to a gentle boil. Let it boil for 2 minutes without stirring. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla extract and orange zest if using.
- Coat the sweet potatoes: Pour the prepared sauce over the sweet potatoes in the baking dish and toss well to coat all slices evenly with the glaze.
- Bake the sweet potatoes: Place the baking dish in the oven and bake for 1 hour. Every 20 minutes, remove the dish and stir the sweet potatoes. After the first 20 minutes of baking, cover the dish with aluminum foil to ensure even baking.
- Finish and garnish: Remove the dish from the oven after 1 hour. Sprinkle with chopped rosemary and flaky sea salt if desired. Let the candied sweet potatoes cool uncovered for 10 minutes. The sauce will thicken as it cools.
- Store leftovers: Cover and refrigerate leftovers for up to 1 week. The sauce will thicken in the fridge but will thin out again when warmed, best done in a microwave before serving.
Notes
- Covering the dish with foil after the first 20 minutes helps the potatoes bake evenly without drying out.
- You can omit the orange zest if you prefer a more traditional flavor.
- Leftovers reheat well in the microwave; the sauce will become more liquid when reheated.
- For a nuttier flavor, you can add chopped pecans or walnuts as garnish.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/8 of recipe
- Calories: 280
- Sugar: 35g
- Sodium: 150mg
- Fat: 10g
- Saturated Fat: 6g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 45g
- Fiber: 5g
- Protein: 2g
- Cholesterol: 30mg
