What's cooking Wednesday-Southern Sweet Potato Casserole

 This Thanksgiving I decided to try out a new side dish recipe. In the past, I have made thanksgiving dinner for just my husband and I as well as for my kids, who, to be honest, maybe ate a roll, when they were little. One of the traditions I started for Thanksgiving when I got married was having a chocolate dessert. I wasn't the biggest fan of pumpkin or apple pie and I felt like chocolate was needed!My daughter helped me make oatmeal chocolate chip bars for this thanksgiving, which I have shared the recipe for a couple months ago!

I decided to crack open my Magnolia Table volume 2 cookbook by Joanna Gaines and try out her Southern Sweet Potato Casserole. It was a labor of love and a bit time consuming, cooking the sweet potatoes first then combining the other ingredients and then topping it off with marshmallows and corn flakes but it was a crowd pleaser! Below is the recipe and I hope you try it out and enjoy it as much as my family and I have.

Ingredients 

• 5 lbs sweet potatoes
• cooking spray   
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 8 tablespoons butter 1 stick, at room temperature
• 1/3 cup whole milk
• 2 large eggs
• 1 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Topping

• 1 cup crushed cornflakes
• 1/3 cup chopped pecans
• 3 tablespoons light brown sugar
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter melted 1/2 stick
• 2 cups mini marshmallows

Instructions 

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
• For the sweet potatoes: Poke each sweet potato a few times with a fork, wrap them individually in foil, and roast until tender, about 1 hour and 15 minutes. Remove from the oven to cool about 20 minutes. Leave the oven on, but reduce the temperature to 375 degrees. 
• Spray a 9×13 inch baking dish with cooking spray.
• When the sweet potatoes are cool wnough to handle, peel them and place them in a large bowl. Break up the potaotes slightly with a fork. Add the sugar, cream, butter, milk, eggs, vanilla and salt. Using a handheld mixer, whip the potato mixture until well combined, 3-5 minutes. 
• Scrape the mixture into the prepared baking dish and spread it our evenly.
• For the topping: In a medium bowl, mix together the cornflakes, pecans, brown sugar and melted butter. sprinkle the mixture evenly over the sweet potatoes and bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Turn the oven to broil and position the rack 4 to 5 inches from the broiler element. 
• Sprinkly the marshmallows on top of hte casserole and broil until marshmallows begin to brown and bubble, about 1 minute watching carefully. Serve hot. 
• Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. reheat in a 350 degree oven for 10 minutes or in a microwave for 3 to 5 minutes.