Twice-Baked Sweet Potatoes with Marshmallows
Active Time: 15 mins
Total Time: 2 hrs 15 mins
Servings: 6
Ingredients:
3 (12-ounce) sweet potatoes, scrubbed
Cooking spray
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
⅓ cup finely chopped pecans
1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
⅔ cup miniature marshmallows
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a large baking sheet with foil. Pierce sweet potatoes all over with a fork, then coat with cooking spray. Place on the prepared baking sheet.
Bake until a paring knife inserted into the center meets no resistance, about 45 minutes. Transfer to a plate and refrigerate, uncovered, until mostly cooled and slightly firm, about 45 minutes.
Meanwhile, melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add ⅓ cup pecans; cook, stirring constantly, until lightly browned and fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove pan from heat and set aside to cool slightly.
Cut sweet potatoes in half lengthwise. Carefully scrape out cooked potato flesh, leaving shells with ¼ inch of flesh intact. Add flesh to the saucepan with the pecans. Arrange the potato skins, cut-sides up, on the baking sheet. Bake until the edges and outer skins are slightly crispy, about 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, cook the sweet potato-pecan mixture over medium heat, stirring often, until smooth and most of the moisture has evaporated, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in 1 tablespoon maple syrup, ½ teaspoon each cinnamon and salt, and ¼ teaspoon ginger until evenly combined. (You should have about 1½ cups.)
Spoon about ¼ cup sweet potato mixture into each baked potato skin; gently spread in an even layer. Top the sweet potatoes with ⅔ cup miniature marshmallows, gently pressing them into the sweet potato mixture.
Bake at 375°F until marshmallows are browned, about 12 minutes.
Notes:
To make ahead:
Bake sweet potatoes (Step 1) and refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Tips from the EatingWell Test Kitchen:
These are the key tips we learned while developing and testing this recipe in our Test Kitchen to make sure it works, tastes great, and is good for you, too!
After baking the potatoes, refrigerate them until they firm up. This will make it easier to scoop and handle them.
If you prefer, instead of baking, you can microwave the sweet potatoes on High for about 10 minutes, remembering to pierce them with a fork first and to flip them every 3 minutes.
To check if the potatoes are done, you can use a cake tester or toothpick instead of a paring knife—if it slides in easily, the potatoes are ready.
When toasting pecans in butter, keep a close eye on them as they can burn easily. Aim to cook them until the butter just starts to brown, as it will continue to cook when removed from the heat.
Recipe courtesy of Eating Well.com