Candied Sweet Potato Cookies

One of my favorite Thanksgiving desserts has always been candied yams (or sweet potatoes)! From my experience, this dish is hotly debated - you either love it or hate it. And even more contested is the age old question, marshmallows or not? I'm a BIG advocate for marshmallows, the more the merrier! This does put candied yams in *almost* dessert territory (which I'm completely fine with), but then it crossed my mind. Why not take all my favorite things about candied sweet potatoes but make them a handheld dessert?! And that's exactly what I did with this recipe. These cookies have all the cinnamon-y, buttery decadence of my favorite Thanksgiving dish with the ease of a worldwide dessert staple. You're going to love these even if you don't love candied sweet potatoes with your turkey.

Ingredients

All purpose flour

Baking Soda

Salt

Sweet Potato puree - this is my favorite brand, but can be swapped for whichever kind you have available to you

Brown sugar - I like dark brown sugar because of the richness it adds, but light brown sugar works as well if that's your preference

Maple syrup - Not the pancake syrup in a plastic container (while I do love this kind - nostalgia amirite?), use the good stuff, it makes all the difference!

Unsalted butter

Eggs

Vanilla - I used vanilla bean paste in these, but any good quality vanilla will do

Toasted pecans - these can be omitted or subbed out for walnuts or hazelnuts, but toasting them adds a great depth of flavor

Large Marshmallow

Storage

These taste best when eaten the same day - but can be enjoyed up to 4 days at room temp in an airtight container. If you'd like to make these well in advance, you can freeze the dough for up to 3 months and just thaw and bake when you're ready. Alternatively, you can bake these cookies, minus the addition of the marshmallow and freeze them up to a month. Once you're ready to enjoy, simply thaw, add your marshmallow and voila!