Sweet Caroline

Last year I had this sweet potato casserole made by Denise Jonas, the mother of the Jonas Brothers, who owns a restaurant with her husband in North Carolina. She appeared on a news segment showing the news anchors how to make this delicious casserole. I’ll be honest, this recipe was really sweet. Even when I substituted the pineapple juice with orange juice, it was still pretty sweet. But it’s good! Definitely a good side dish or dessert to have on Thanksgiving or Christmas. Add some vanilla ice cream on top to give it another sweet kick if you want. Though honestly, it’s sweet enough by itself. Hope you enjoy! ^_^

Filling Ingredients

6-7 light sweet potatoes, peeled

3/4 cups sugar

1 stick butter

3-4 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

almond milk, as needed

Topping Ingredients

2 tablespoons flour

1 cup light brown sugar

1/3 cup melted butter

1/2 cup orange juice or pineapple juice

1 cup chopped pecans

Directions

Filling

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Place sweet potatoes in a large saucepan with water to cover. Cook over medium high heat until tender.

Drain and mash potatoes while still hot.

In a large bowl, mix together the sweet potatoes, sugar and butter.

Add eggs and vanilla extract, and milk if needed.

Mix until smooth. Transfer to a 9×13 inch baking dish.

Topping

In a medium bowl, mix the flour and light brown sugar.

Add the melted butter.

Add juice until the consistency is medium thick.

Stir in the pecans.

Sprinkle the mixture over the sweet potato mixture.

Bake in the preheated oven for 30-40 minutes and serve hot.

Random note:

I remember listening to the Jonas Brothers in high school. I had a HUGE crush on Joe, the middle brother. I still think Joe is the handsomest brother even now…If I ever visit North Carolina, going to their family restaurant in Belmont is on my list because you needed to know that lol. Merry Christmas!