Brown sugar |

That title doesn’t do these bad boys justice.

I mean, seriously. I can’t even right now.

Homemade Sweet Potato Fries.

Bathed in a brown sugar mixture.

Baked to perfection.

Smothered and covered with toasted marshmallows.

Ooey, gooey, crunchy, sugary.

Swoooon.

Guys, I may have just fallen in love.

Just look at this gooeyness. Doesn’t it just make you happy?

This is how I spend the day before Thanksgiving. Prepping. Baking pies (deep dish pecan pie, anyone?). Making muffins (breakfast on Thanksgiving is important too, you know). And, eating way too many (not enough) of these fries.

Gosh, these fries.

Really, a pre-Thanksgiving snack to get you into the mood to eat. And boy, does it get you into the mood fast.

The moment they go into the oven prepare yourself because the smell is to die for. TO. DIE. FOR. It’s almost like bottling Thanksgiving into a spray can and releasing the whole bottle all at once.

Swooooon, again.

Can you tell I like Thanksgiving? And, that I’m slightly in love ~~obsessed~~ with marshmallow smothered sweet potato fries?

Cause I am. I totally am.

Hope that’s cool with you.

Brown Sugar Sweet Potato Fries with Marshmallows
Yields: 1 large serving

Ingredients:
1 large sweet potato
1 teaspoon cornstarch
2 teaspoons of melted coconut oil
7 tablespoons of brown sugar
2 teaspoons of sugar
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup (be generous) mini marshmallows

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. I ended up using two baking sheets for one large sweet potato…you want the fries to have enough space on the tray. Set aside.
Wash and peel the potato. Using a sharp knife, cut off the ends. Cut the rest of the potato into strips that are about 1/4 inch wide. Place in a large bowl and toss with the cornstarch, it will leave a very thin coating. Pour the potatoes into a strainer to get rid of any extra cornstarch and clean out the bowl. Place potatoes back into the cleaned bowl.
In a separate small bowl combine 5 tablespoons brown sugar, sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Set aside.
Add the melted coconut oil to the bowl with the potatoes. Using your hands, toss to coat.
Pour brown sugar mixture over the potatoes and again, toss to coat with your hands.
Arrange the coated sweet potatoes onto the baking sheet, being careful not to overcrowd them. Bake for 15-17 minutes, and then remove from the oven and flip the tray around. Bake for another 10-12 minutes. About five minutes before the fries were done, I once again removed the tray from the oven and flipped over each fry to ensure equal caramelization on each side and then put it back in.
Once done, let the fries sit, still on the tray, on top of the oven as it cools.
When the fries are a bit crispier and not too hot to handle place them in a large bowl. Pour the remaining 2 tablespoons brown sugar over the fries. Toss gently to coat.
Turn the oven broiler on high.
Place the fries in a small dish and cover with marshmallows, add more if needed to ensure the fries are covered completely.
Broil for about 3-5 minutes or until the marshmallows are toasted.
Enjoy immediately!

Psst.

Hey you.

Yes, you my interweb friend.Do you know what today is?

It’s Christmas Eve. December 24th. Less than 24 hours before Christmas. Less than 24 hours people!When the heck did that happen?

This is going to sound weird, but I kind of don’t want Christmas to be tomorrow. And, no, I haven’t gone crazy. Okay, maybe a little. You see, it’s only around Christmas time that certain things I loveeee (yes, with a few extra e’s) happen. Like, houses decorated with a million sparkly lights; fireplaces adorned with fuzzy red stockings; Christmas trees standing prettily in living rooms; snowman wrapping paper; Gingerbread Coffee; Salted Caramel anything and everything. Why do these things have to be seasonal? Can’t they be year round? Anyone with me? Anyone? I’ve gone all ~~crazy~~ bummed-out on you, haven’t I? I’m sorry. Let’s get back to being excited.

Look. Baked Cinnamon Brown Sugar Donut Bites. Now, that’s exciting.
I’m gonna tell you a secret. When I started baking these donut bites, I wanted them to be gingerbread donuts. I wanted them to be festive, and I wanted them to be in accordance with the season. I even used a gingerbread donut recipe…but as you can see by the title, these little baked bites don’t taste like gingerbread. Sure, they have that spicy warmth you get from gingerbread, but to me, they taste more like cinnamon brown sugar heaven. Hence the title.
These donut bites are baked (can I get a woot woot for saving your and my fingers from getting oil burns?) in a mini muffin pan, making them the perfect bite size treat. The donut itself is soft and moist, and filled with all those yummy warm spices. It is covered in a brown sugar glaze that soaks right into the donut, and is then topped with a brown sugar crumb topping and a little extra cinnamon. I may have wanted these to be gingerbread donuts, but I can’t even complain about the outcome…they really are pretty darn tasty!

Baked Cinnamon Brown Sugar Donut Bites
Recipe adapted from Mother Thyme
Yields: about 24 donut bites

Ingredients:
Cinnamon Brown Sugar Donut
1 cup all-purpose flour, sifted
1/4 brown sugar, sifted
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ginger
pinch of nutmeg
1/4 cup milk
2 tablespoons sour cream
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
2 tablespoons maple syrup

Glaze
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon water

Crumb Topping
3 tablespoons brown sugar
3 tablespoons flour
1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
cinnamon for sprinkling on top

Directions:
Cinnamon Brown Sugar Donuts
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease the wells of a mini muffin pan. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, combine flour, brown sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and nutmeg. Mix until well-incorporated.
Add milk, sour cream, egg, and butter. Stir until combined.
Mix in maple syrup until just incorporated.
Spoon two teaspoons of batter into each well of a mini muffin pan. Bake for 7 to 8 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Let cool for about 5 minutes before removing from pan.

Glaze
In a small bowl mix together brown sugar and water until combined.
Spoon glaze over each donut bite—make sure to cover the whole bite.
Set glazed donut bites on a piece of wax paper.

Crumb Topping
In a small bowl, combine brown sugar, flour, and butter—using your fingers works best—until it’s of a crumbling consistency.
Generously sprinkle each donut bite with crumb topping before the glaze hardens, and then sprinkle with a little bit of cinnamon.

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a Baked Cinnamon Brown Sugar Donut Bites kind of night :)

Brown Sugar Sweet Potato Fries with Marshmallows Yields: 1 large serving

Baked Cinnamon Brown Sugar Donut Bites Recipe adapted from Mother Thyme Yields: about 24 donut bites

Brown Sugar Sweet Potato Fries with Marshmallows
Yields: 1 large serving

Baked Cinnamon Brown Sugar Donut Bites
Recipe adapted from Mother Thyme
Yields: about 24 donut bites