Sweet Potato Balls with Coconut

Thanksgiving is nearing and I, like many, am in planning mode. Admittedly, I’m a traditionalist when it comes to Thanksgiving foods. For me, Thanksgiving is a time for taking in the sights and smells of Autumn … a time when pumpkins, apples, sweet potatoes, and winter squash are in abundance. These are the flavors and smells of Thanksgiving.

But … I’m all for remaking traditional dishes into something new and maybe even more exciting or shaking up the ingredients a bit. I ditched green bean casserole ages ago in favor of shredded Brussels sprouts caramelized in bacon drippings and sugar. I love Ree Drummonds’s apple sausage stuffing and make a variation to suit our Midwestern palates.

When it comes to sweet potatoes, however, I never moved past sweet potato casserole topped with marshmallows slightly charred under the broiler.

Until now.

Until my mom got all creative over the weekend and made sweet potato balls with a marshmallow hidden inside, covered in nuts and toasted coconut.

They. Are. Like. Candy.

But healthy.

Mostly.

At least that’s what I said to myself as I was breaking into my fouth one Sunday night at dinner!

It’s a simple process, really, but you have to use fresh sweet potatoes. The canned variety are too moist and won’t hold together. Three large sweet potatoes will make about a dozen and the presentation is both beautiful and mouthwatering.

There are six on the platter in the above photo along with hasselback chicken breasts that are stuffed with ham and swiss on a bed of wild rice pilaf.

Here, you can see the toasted coconut up close and personal. When you slice into one, the marshmallow is barely there, having gone all melty in the oven, but the flavor of sweet potato casserole is front and center.

This is definitely a remake worth adding to the dinner table!

If you want to check out more of Mom’s recipes, visit her at Slice of Pie Cookbooks and Entertaining.

Sweet Potato Balls with Coconut

Recipe by Niki Davis

Servings

12

Prep time

0

minutes

Cooking time

0

minutes

Calories

kcal

Total time

40

minutes

This remake of classic sweet potato casserole provides a little more visual appeal to your Thanksgiving Day table!

Ingredients

• 3 large sweet potatoes cooked and cooled

• 1/4 cup brown sugar

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 12 large marshmallows

• 1/4 cup finely chopped nuts

• 3/4 cup shredded coconut

Directions

• Preheat your oven to 400°F. Remove the skins from the sweet potatoes and place the flesh in a mixing bowl. Mash them together with the brown sugar and salt.
• Divide the mixture into 12 portions. Use each portion to gently form a ball of sweet potato around each marshmallow making sure there are no breaks in the ball that would allow the marshmallow to escape while baking. 
• Combine the nuts and coconut in a small mixing bowl.
• Roll each ball in coconut mixture and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. 
• Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the coconut is toasted. 

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