My Fall Super Bowl
I am a certified lover of Thanksgiving food. And as someone who also loves to cook, it’s basically my version of the super bowl. Each year there’s a new recipe I want to try — the only problem is that some dishes don’t make the cut as much as I love them. These Sweet Potato Bars have become the answer to my problem, and hopefully they’ll help you out too. I love a sweet potato casserole, but even I have to admit that it’s basically dessert — in the best way possible. So why not make it part of dessert? That way, you can fit another dish onto the dinner table! We have a spiced biscoff cookie crust with a creamy sweet potato pie filling topped with toasted marshmallows. Again, I’m a big fan of sweet potato casserole, but these Sweet Potato Pie Bars are a pretty darn good substitute!
Building the Base
We’ll start by making the biscoff crust! Preheat the oven to 350˚F. Line an 8×8 inch square baking pan with parchment paper and set aside. Remove 28 biscoff cookies from the package and set aside the remaining cookies. Break the cookies into pieces then add them into a food processor. Pulse until you get fine crumbs.
Add the biscoff crumbs into a bowl along with the granulated sugar, salt, and melted butter. Mix until combined and it resembles wet sand. Pour it into the prepared baking pan and press it out into a compact even layer with your hands. Bake it in the oven for about 10 minutes until slightly golden then set aside to cool.
Roast and Toast
Next, we’ll make the sweet potato filling. You can use pre-made sweet potato puree from the store, but if you can’t find it or want to make it at home I’ll show you how! Prick 1 sweet potato all around with a fork. Wrap it in foil then place it onto a baking sheet. Bake it in the oven at 400˚F for 75 to 90 minutes depending on the size of your sweet potato. You should easily be able to insert a knife into the center. Allow the sweet potato to cool completely before peeling and mashing.
Once you’ve got your sweet potato puree, add it into a large bowl along with the granulated sugar, eggs, evaporated milk, vanilla bean paste, cinnamon, salt, ginger, and cloves. Mix with a whisk until evenly combined. Pour the filling into the pan with the biscoff crust. Bake it in the oven for 40-45 minutes until the filling is set around the edges but the center is still slightly jiggly. Set it aside to cool completely so the filling can set. Arrange the halved marshmallows, cut side down, into a single layer on top of the sweet potato bar. Use a blowtorch to toast the marshmallows then cut the bar into squares . A little tip for cutting these bars is to grease your knife between each slice. This will prevent the marshmallows from sticking onto your knife!
Plan Ahead
Another reason why I love these Sweet Poatato Pie Bars is because you can make them ahead of time. If you’re doing a majority of the cooking on Thanksgiving, a huge part of it is planning. I always like to prep my mise and make whatever dishes I can ahead of time to lessen the chaos when you’re down to the minute. As a dessert lover, even I have to admit that dessert can become a second thought when I’m overwhelmed with making everything else. So make-ahead desserts are the key to success and these Sweet Potato Pie Bars are one of them. As indulgent as they look, they’re actually not too sweet and the spices give it more depth in flavor so that it’s not just a sugar bomb. Try this recipe out this holiday season and let me know what you think!
Sweet Potato Pie Bars
Ingredients
For the Biscoff Crust:
- 1 (8.8 oz) Sleeve Biscoff Cookies
- 3 tbsp Granulated sugar
- ¼ tsp Table Salt
- ½ cup Unsalted Butter (melted)
For the Sweet Potato Filling:
- 1 cup Fresh Sweet Potato Puree (see notes)
- ¾ cup Granulated Sugar
- 2 Large Eggs
- ¾ cup Evaporated Milk
- 1 tsp Bourbon Vanilla Bean Paste from Trader Joe's (or vanilla extract)
- ½ tsp Ground Cinnamon
- ¼ tsp Table Salt
- ¼ tsp Ground Ginger
- ¼ tsp Ground Cloves
- 18 Regular Size Marshmallows (cut in half)
Instructions
For the Biscoff Crust:
- Preheat the oven to 350˚F. Line an 8×8 inch square baking pan with parchment paper and set aside.
- Remove 28 biscoff cookies from the package, set aside the remaining cookies. Break the cookies into pieces then add them into a food processor. Pulse until you get fine crumbs.
- Add the biscoff crumbs into a bowl along with the granulated sugar, salt, and melted butter. Mix until combined and it resembles wet sand. Pour it into the prepared baking pan and press it out into a compact even layer with your hands. Bake it in the oven for about 10 minutes until slightly golden then set aside to cool.
For the Sweet Potato Filling:
- Add the sweet potato puree, granulated sugar, eggs, evaporated milk, vanilla bean paste, cinnamon, salt, ginger, and cloves into a large bowl. Mix with a whisk until evenly combined. Pour the filling into the pan with the biscoff crust. Bake it in the oven for 40-45 minutes until the filling is set around the edges but the center is still slightly jiggly. Set aside to cool completely so the filling can set.
- Arrange the halved marshmallows, cut side down, into a single layer on top of the sweet potato bar. Use a blowtorch to toast the marshmallows. Cut the bar into squares, greasing your knife between each slice to prevent the marshmallows from sticking. Enjoy!
