Description
This classic Southern side dish features tender sweet potatoes par-cooked and baked in a rich, buttery, cinnamon-spiced brown sugar sauce. The candied yams are perfectly soft, sweet, and coated in a luscious glaze, making them a comforting addition to holiday feasts or everyday meals.
Ingredients
Scale
Sweet Potatoes
- 3 large sweet potatoes (about 1 1/2 pounds total)
Sauce
- 1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 8 tablespoons (1 stick) salted butter
Instructions
- Preheat Oven and Prepare Sweet Potatoes: Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and heat the oven to 350ºF. Peel and cut the sweet potatoes into 1-inch pieces for even cooking.
- Par-cook Sweet Potatoes: Place the cut sweet potatoes in a large saucepan or pot and cover with water by about 1 inch. Bring to a low boil over medium-high heat and simmer just until they can be pierced with a fork and start to soften, about 10 minutes, being careful not to overcook.
- Transfer Sweet Potatoes to Baking Dish: Using a slotted spoon, carefully transfer the par-cooked sweet potatoes into an 8×8-inch square baking dish, spreading them evenly. Reserve the cooking water for the sauce.
- Make Sugar Sauce: Transfer 3/4 cup of the warm reserved cooking water to a measuring cup or medium bowl. Stir in the dark brown sugar until dissolved. Add vanilla extract and mix well.
- Add Spices: Sprinkle ground cinnamon and nutmeg evenly over the sweet potatoes in the baking dish.
- Pour Sauce Over Sweet Potatoes: Pour the brown sugar water mixture evenly over the sweet potatoes, ensuring good coverage.
- Add Butter: Cut the salted butter into cubes and scatter them over the top of the sweet potatoes.
- Bake and Toss: Bake the yams for 5 minutes, then carefully remove the dish from the oven and gently toss to combine the sauce and coat the sweet potatoes evenly.
- Finish Baking: Return the dish to the oven and bake until the sweet potatoes are fork-tender and glazed, about 10 minutes more.
- Serve: Remove from oven and spoon the thickened candied sauce over the top. Let cool about 5 minutes to allow the sauce to thicken further. Serve warm.
Notes
- Par-cooking ensures the sweet potatoes finish cooking evenly in the oven without becoming mushy.
- The combination of butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla creates a rich, aromatic glaze that perfectly complements the natural sweetness of the yams.
- For best flavor and texture, do not overboil the sweet potatoes in the initial step.
- This dish is a traditional Southern holiday favorite and pairs well with roasted or grilled meats.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/6 of recipe
- Calories: 277
- Sugar: 21.2 g
- Sodium: 172 mg
- Fat: 15.4 g
- Saturated Fat: 9.8 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 0.0 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 34.6 g
- Fiber: 2.6 g
- Protein: 1.5 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
