A Candied Yams Recipe is a must at Thanksgiving! Since you just have to mix everything together and stick it in the oven, this couldn’t be more stress-free. My family and I like candied Yams prepared this way, but if you like, marshmallow can be added (see below, on variations).
This recipe, albeit called “yams”, may be prepared with the orange sweet potato. In most parts of North America, sweet potatoes are still often mislabeled as yam. And when Columbus took sweet potato to Spain, they were called simply “potato” until 1740, when they finally made the distinction between both. That’s why it’s so hard to find old sweet potato recipes. What we call yams in America is a softer variety of sweet potatoes. The real yams, that come from Asia or Africa, are drier and starchier. So if you are going to prepare this recipe anywhere other than America, I suggest you do it with sweet potatoes.
This candied yams recipe is so simple and delicious you’ll never go back to canned yams again!
- ⅓ cup apple juice
- 3 Tbsp brown sugar
- 3 Tbsp maple syrup
- ⅛ tsp allspice
- ⅛ tsp ground cinnamon
- 3 lbs yam or sweet potatoes peeled and sliced
- Salt and ground black pepper to taste
- In a large bowl, mix well the apple juice, brown sugar, maple syrup, allspice and cinnamon. Add the sliced yams, making sure to coat them all;
- Arrange yams, as much as possible, in a single layer in a large baking dish. Drizzle the remaining syrup from the bowl over the yams, cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes in a 375 degree oven;
- Turn the yams over and continue baking, still covered, for an additional 20 to 25 minutes, or until tender;
- Remove foil and leave in the oven to golden yams and reduce the syrup (about 10 to 15 extra minutes). When yams are done, season with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
Variations
- If you like Candied Yams with marshmallows, add a layer of mini marshmallows (about 2 cups) on the top of the yams, on the last 5 to 10 minutes of step 4.
- You may also add pecans (or other nuts like walnuts or brazil nuts) on step 1. They can be chopped coarsely.
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