⏱️ Prep Time
- 15–20 minutes
🔥 Cook Time
- 45–50 minutes
⏲️ Total Time
- About 1 hour 5 minutes
🧾 Ingredients
- 4–5 medium sweet potatoes (yams), peeled and sliced into rounds
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar (light or dark)
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- Optional: 1 tablespoon honey or maple syrup (for extra richness)
👩🍳 Directions
- Preheat oven
- Set oven to 350°F (175°C).
- Prepare the yams
- Peel and slice sweet potatoes into about 1/2-inch thick rounds.
- Place them evenly in a baking dish.
- Make the syrup
- In a saucepan over medium heat, combine sugar, brown sugar, butter, water, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.
- Stir until butter melts and mixture begins to slightly thicken (about 5 minutes).
- Remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract.
- Pour over yams
- Pour the warm syrup evenly over the sweet potatoes.
- Bake covered
- Cover dish with foil and bake for 30 minutes.
- Bake uncovered
- Remove foil and continue baking another 15–20 minutes.
- Baste occasionally with the syrup until yams are tender and glazed.
- Serve
- Let sit for a few minutes before serving.
- Spoon extra syrup over the top for that classic Southern finish.
🔥 Tips for Authentic Flavor
- Use dark brown sugar for a deeper molasses taste.
- Add a pinch of cloves or allspice for extra warmth.
- For a richer dish, add a few marshmallows on top during the last 5 minutes (optional Southern twist).