I love this time of year, the smells of fall, pumpkin spice, cinnamon and pecans make my mouth water! A few years ago we had Thanksgiving at my in-laws and my husband’s sister made a sweet potato casserole. It was the absolute best I have ever had. I begged her for the recipe, since then I have made it every Thanksgiving. It is similar to the Ruth Chris Sweet Potato Casserole and so yummy! I wanted to share it because once you try it you will fall in love. It is really easy to make and people think you are master chef!!

Crust

• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/3 cup flour
• 1 cup chopped nuts (I like to chop about 1/2 cup  and use whole or cracked for the other 1/2 cup (pecans preferred))
• 1/3 stick butter, melted
• Combine brown sugar, flour, nuts and butter in mixing bowl. Set aside.

Sweet Potato Mixture

• 3 cups mashed sweet potatoes (boil them until soft enough to mash with a fork)
• 1 cup sugar (I do 3/4 sugar and 1/4 brown sugar)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 eggs, well beaten
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a medium-size casserole dish with nonstick spray.

Combine sweet potatoes, sugar, salt, vanilla, eggs and butter in a large mixing bowl in the order listed. Beat thoroughly with a hand mixer to increase the fluffiness of the sweet potato mixture.

Pour mixture into the baking dish. Bake for 30 minutes. (At this point, dish can be covered and refrigerated.)

Sprinkle the surface of the sweet potato mixture evenly with the crust mixture and return to oven for 10 minutes. Allow to set at least 30 minutes before serving.

The brown sugar and pecan crust should be slightly browned and crunchy.

Let me know if you try it this Thanksgiving and how it turned out!