Fry ’em, grill ’em, bake ’em and roast ’em, sweet potatoes are a dinner staple. Add a bit of sweetness to your dinner sides this week with these yummy twice baked sweet potatoes topped with bourbon maple & walnuts.
These sweet potatoes remind us of the decadent [and sinful] sweet potato casserole that’s always served during the holidays. Now these twice baked sweet potatoes aren’t overly sweet like the respective casseroles however the bourbon maple syrup used to sweeten them adds heavenly flavor notes of caramel, butterscotch, vanilla, and a slight oak.
What we love about this recipe is that it makes it easy to know what a serving size is — one skin...even though we may or may have not eaten a plate full.
To create a really smooth texture, mashing the cooked sweet potato flesh is really out of the question. Even if we wanted to mash these, our kitchen doesn’t contain a potato masher. [It’s true.] The easiest way to whip these sweet potatoes smooth is with a hand held electric mixer or stand mixer. The KitchenAid stand mixer is our go-to since it’s hands free, plus it offers so many attachments.
In our first couple batches, we didn’t finely chop the walnuts and we wish we had. They were only rough chopped and seemed too large once enjoying the finished potatoes. Take note and chop away!
Maple Walnut Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes Recipe
Sweet, smooth, and crunchy sweet potatoes baked twice for a dessert-like side.
Servings: 8
Total Time: 1 Hour
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Bourbon Barrel Aged Maple Syrup
100% pure maple syrup aged in small batch bourbon barrels for up to 18 months!
Prep
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Preheat oven to 400F.
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Clean then politely stab sweet potatoes with a fork. Place on baking sheet.
Cooking
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Bake sweet potatoes until soft. Depending on the thickness of your sweet potatoes, they will need to cook for 20-40 minutes.
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While sweet potatoes are baking, prepare filling. In a small microwavable bowl, belt butter. Add bourbon maple syrup and walnuts. Combine until nuts are well coated. Set aside.
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Remove sweet potatoes from the oven and let rest 10 minutes.
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Cut each sweet potato in half lengthwise. Use a spoon to scoop out the flesh into a bowl leaving the skin as in tact as possible. Place skins back on baking sheet.
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Add cream cheese, bourbon maple syrup, spice, vanilla, and salt to sweet potato flesh in mixing bowl. Beat until smooth.
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Carefully spoon filling back into skins. Sprinkle the tops with prepared topping.
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Return sweet potato halves to a 400F oven and bake for 15 minutes. Serve hot.
Pro Tips
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Apple Cinnamon Barrel Aged Maple Syrup is a great substitute for the Bourbon Maple Syrup. If using, reduce pumpkin pie spice to 1/4 tbsp.
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The walnuts can be omitted for a nut allergy free version. Or use your favorite nuts instead of walnuts; try pecans, sliced almonds, or a mix.
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This recipe works best when the sweet potatoes are slightly under baked the first time helping you to keep the skin whole while scooping out the flesh.
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Adjust the bourbon maple syrup to fit your own taste. You may want to start with 2-3 tbsp in the filling if you like it less sweet.
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If you love the recipe but the idea of filling skins seems like too much, place sweet potato filling into a greased baking dish followed by the topping, then bake as instructed.
Tell us in the comments below: What’s your favorite way to eat sweet potatoes?
We love hearing and seeing how this recipe turned out for you. Share your alternations, additions, and photos with us! Send them here.
