Winning Sweet Potato Festival recipes

Winning recipes from Vardaman Sweet Potato Festival recipe contest shared.

Misc. Desserts
Scrumptious Sweet Potato Coconut Bars
Lyndsey Wade – Mayor’s Cup Winner

¾ Cup Butter, melted
1 ½ Cups Graham Cracker Crumbs
1 (14 oz.) can Sweetened Condensed Milk
3 Cups Sweet Potato puree
2 Cups White Chocolate Morsels
11/3 Cups Flaked Coconut
1 Cup Chopped Nuts

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees and coat 9×13 baking pan with non-stick cooking spray.
2. Combine graham cracker crumbs and butter. Press into bottom of prepared pan.
3. Pour sweetened condensed milk evenly over crumb mixture.
4. Scoop sweet potato from the peeling and mix until smooth. Using a piping bag (or plastic freezer bag with hole cut in one corner), layer the graham cracker crust with sweet potatoes.
5. Layer white chocolate chips, coconut and nuts. Press firmly.
6. Bake 25 minutes or until lightly browned.
7. Cool and cut into bars.
8. Store covered at room temperature.

Sweet Potato Cheesecake Cookie Cups
Lyndsey Wade

Ingredients for 12 cups
16 oz. Sugar Cookie Dough, room temp.
2 ½ cups of sweet potato puree
½ cup brown sugar
16 oz. Cream Cheese, softened
1/3 cup of Sugar
2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
8 oz. Whipped Topping
Caramel Syrup, optional, for serving
Roasted Walnuts or Pecans, optional for serving Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Roll the cookie dough into l-inch balls and place them muffin tin sprayed with cooking spray.
3. Using your hands or a shaped tool, press the dough balls down so they form a cup shape.
4. Bake for 10-15 minutes. After cooked, and before cooled, use a round­ cup shaped ½ t measuring spoon and press cooked cookies to form a bowl. Cool in refrigerator.
5. In a small bowl, mix HOT baked sweet potato with brown sugar.
6. In a medium bowl, whisk or mix together the softened cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla until smooth and no lumps remain.
7. Fold in the whipped topping.
8. Scoop the sweet potato mixture into the cooked and cooled cookie cups that have been removed from the muffin tin.
9. Scoop the cheesecake filling into a piping bag (you can also us plastic sandwich bag with hole cut in the corner).
10. Pipe the cheesecake filling into each cup on top of the sweet potatoes.
11. Serve with caramel syrup and roasted nuts, (optional).

Pie
Caramel Sweet Potato Pecan Pie
Peggy Whiteside – Winner

1 unbaked pie crust
28 caramels
¼ cup butter, melted
¼ cup water
¾ cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
¼ tsp. salt
1 cup broken or coarsely chopped pecans
Toasted
1 cup baked sweet potato, mashed

Place pie crust into 9” pie plate. Crimp edges. Prick bottom and sides with fork. Bake at 400 degrees for 6-8 minutes.
Combine caramels, butter and water in sauce pan over medium heat. Cook, stirring until melted. Cool.
Stir together sugar, eggs, vanilla and salt. Add sweet potatoes and caramel mixture until thoroughly combined. Stir in pecans. Pour into crust.
Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees for 20 more minutes or until done.

Cakes
Sweet Potato Cake with
White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting
Melissa Edmondson – Winner

1 ½ Cups butter, softened
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 large eggs, separated
2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup buttermilk
2 cups finely grated sweet potato
1 cup chopped walnuts
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 3 (8in) cake pans with nonstick baking spray with flour.
In a large bowl, beat butter, sugar, and vanilla at medium speed with a mixer until fluffy. Add egg yolks, beating until combined. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, salt and nutmeg. Gradually add to butter mixture alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture, beating just until combined after each addition. In a medium bowl, beat egg whites at high speed with a mixture until stiff peaks form. Gently fold into batter.
Gently stir in sweet potatoes and walnuts. Spoon batter into prepared pans. Bake for 20 to 23 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted comes out clean. Cool in pans for 10 minutes. Remove from pans, cool completely on wire racks. Spread White Chocolate-Cream Cheese Frosting evenly between layers and on top and sides of cake.

White Chocolate-Cream Cheese Frosting
1 (4oz) white chocolate baking bar, chopped
1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
1 cup butter, softened
16 oz. cream cheese softened
2 lbs. powdered sugar
In a small sauce pan, combine chopped white chocolate and cream. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until chocolate melts and mixture is smooth. Remove from heat, and cool for 1 hour. In a large bowl, beat butter and cream cheese at medium speed with a mixer until creamy.
Add white chocolate mixture, beating until combined. Gradually add powdered sugar, beating until smooth.
Note: Cake layers can be made up to 1 month ahead; wrap cooled layers tightly in plastic wrap and Freeze. To serve, spread frosting on frozen cake layers (frozen layers are easier to frost), and thaw. Store thawed cake, covered, in refrigerator up to 3 days.

Miscellaneous
Sweet Potato Breakfast Quiche
Melissa Edmondson – Winner

½ to l lb. sausage, cooked and drained
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
3 cups grated, raw sweet potatoes
1 (8 oz.) package shredded Mozzarella cheese
1 cup Gouda cheese, grated
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
8 large eggs, beaten
1 cup half-and-half
1 teaspoon dried Rosemary
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brown and cook sausage, drain then set aside. In a small skillet, pour in olive oil and saute onions and sweet potatoes just until they change color. Remove from heat. Spray glass 9 x 13 glass dish with cooking spray. Place sausage, cheeses and onions and sweet potatoes in dish and sprinkle with salt and pepper. In a medium bowl, mix beaten eggs and 1 cup half-and-half until smooth. Pour over cheeses and potatoes. Sprinkle with dried Rosemary. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until center is set. Cool 10 minutes before serving.

Low Calorie
Maple Sweet Potato Pecan Pie
Peggy Whiteside – Winner

3 large eggs, beaten
1 cup sugar free maple syrup
¼ cup Splenda Brown sugar blend ¼ cup butter, melted
1 Tbsp. flour
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup baked sweet potato, mashed 1 ½ cups toasted pecan halves
1 unbaked pie crust
In a large bowl combine eggs, syrup, brown sugar, butter, flour and vanilla. Mix in mashed sweet potato. Mix well and stir in toasted pecans. Pour into pie shell and bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes.
To toast pecans: Place in a single layer on a shallow baking pan. Bake for 10 minutes at 350 degrees. Cool before using.

Youth Division
Easy Sweet Potato Pie Bites
Elijah Winter – Winner

2 pre-made, ready to roll pie crusts
1 (8oz) package cream cheese, softened to room temperature
1 cup mashed sweet potatoes
1 /2 cup sugar
2 eggs + 1 egg for egg wash
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
Whipped cream

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Grease and flour ( or use nonstick cooking spray) a mini-muffin pan. Set aside.
3. Roll the dough or pie crust out on a floured surface with a floured rolling pin.
4. Using a round cookie or biscuit cutter (approximately 3 inches diameter) cut at least 24 rounds out ( or 12 rounds of each pie crust, if using store bought)
5. Carefully press each round into the mini-muffin pan. Use your fingers to round the ends into a pie crust.
6. Brush egg wash from one egg to the top edges of each pie.
7. Using an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Add eggs one at a time, beating each until combined.
8. Add sweet potatoes and beat to combine. Stir in vanilla and pumpkin pie spice.
9. Spoon mixture into each mini pie crust almost up to the top.
10. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden around the edges.
11. Remove from oven and let cool on a cooling rack, or chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.
12. Top with whipped cream

Children’s Division
Sweet Potato Pickups
Walker Wade – Winner

1 medium Sweet Potato sliced about ¼” slices
1 Tbls. Melted butter
1 Tsp honey
Salt
Marshmallows
Pecan halves
Preheat oven to 400 degrees
On a baking sheet toss Sweet Potatoes with melted butter and honey. Layer and season with salt.
Bake until tender flipping ½ through cooking time, about 20 min.
Remove from oven and switch oven to broil.
Top each slice with a marshmallow and broil until puffed and golden. Remove and immediately top with a pecan half.