Description
Homemade sweet potato delight with pecan crunch topping celebrates Southern comfort cuisine with creamy spiced layers. Crisp nutty topping and warm seasonal notes invite warm gatherings and delicious memories for all who share this classic comfort dish.
Ingredients
Scale
- 4 lbs (1.8 kg) sweet potatoes, approximately 6 cups when mashed
- 3 large eggs
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- 6 tbsps (85 g) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
- ½ tbsp (7.5 ml) vanilla extract
- 1 cup (150 g) dried cranberries (craisins)
- ⅔ cup (133 g) packed brown sugar
- ⅓ cup (42 g) all-purpose flour (or gluten-free flour substitute)
- 3 tbsps (42 g) cold, diced unsalted butter
- 1 cup (100 g) coarsely chopped pecans
Instructions
- Potato Preparation: Wash, peel, and slice sweet potatoes into uniform chunks, ensuring consistent cooking texture.
- Boiling Process: Submerge potato pieces in cold water, bring to a gentle boil, and cook for 12-15 minutes until fork-tender, then drain completely.
- Potato Transformation: Mash sweet potatoes using an electric mixer until smooth and creamy, eliminating any potential lumps.
- Mixture Integration: Whisk eggs, sugar, melted butter, and vanilla extract until well combined, then gently fold into mashed sweet potatoes.
- Flavor Enhancement: Incorporate dried cranberries evenly throughout the sweet potato mixture, distributing for balanced flavor profile.
- Topping Preparation: Create crumb mixture by combining brown sugar, flour, and cold butter, using fingertips to develop a coarse, pea-sized texture.
- Crunch Element: Mix chopped pecans into the crumb mixture, ensuring thorough distribution for maximum flavor and texture.
- Assembly and Baking: Spread sweet potato mixture in a 9×13 inch casserole dish, top generously with pecan crumb mixture, and bake uncovered at 350°F for 35-40 minutes until edges become puffy and topping turns golden brown.
Notes
- Precision Peeling: Uniformly cut sweet potato chunks ensure even cooking and a consistent texture throughout the dish.
- Boiling Brilliance: Cook potatoes until fork-tender, avoiding overcooking to maintain their natural sweetness and prevent mushiness.
- Smooth Operator: Use an electric mixer to create a silky-smooth sweet potato base, eliminating any unwanted lumps for a creamy consistency.
- Crumb Control: Blend topping ingredients with fingertips to achieve a perfect coarse, pea-sized crumb texture that guarantees a delightful crunchy layer.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Desserts, Snacks
- Method: Boiling, Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 9
- Calories: 290
- Sugar: 22 g
- Sodium: 70 mg
- Fat: 16 g
- Saturated Fat: 5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 34 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 4 g
- Cholesterol: 60 mg