This Candied Yams Recipe has a silky smooth buttery maple sauce making this the perfect Fall dish. You'll never guess my secret ingredient.

Bless your family and friends with the delicious taste of tender sweet yams. This recipe is so easy to make and is definitely a crowd-pleaser. In fact, one batch is never enough. So, if you're planning on making this recipe this Fall or holiday season which you should certainly do I suggest that you double the recipe.

As Fall approaches, what recipes or ingredients do you think of most. For me, I think of all the warm spices such as cinnamon, allspice, pumpkin spice and cardamom. As we approach the first day of Fall, I want to walk you through one of our favorite recipes that combine all of these wonderful Fall spices.

Ingredients

Yams

Maple Sauce

100% pure maple syrup
Brown sugar
Butter
Carnation milk
Fall spices (cinnamon, allspice, ginger, pumpkin)
Vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract (no imitation)

How to make candied yams

Picking sweet yams: When selecting yams, choose ones that are medium-sized, firm, and has dark red skin. Picking medium-sized yams are easier to cut than really large yams.

Prepping sweet yams: Use a vegetable peeler, paring knife, or steak knife to remove the skin from each yam and cut into wedges and add them to a casserole dish. It's important that the sliced wedges are cut approximately the same size for even cooking.

Do not cut the wedges too small as this can cause your yams to become over-baked and mushy whereas really large yams can taste under-baked and take a longer time to cook.

Making the maple sauce: Add all the sauce ingredients into a pot and place on the stove over medium heat. Bring the sauce to a gently boil then simmer. Stir in my secret ingredient which is vanilla bean paste. However, if you do not have vanilla bean paste, simply add pure vanilla extract.

Vanilla bean paste is a new favorite of mine. It adds incredible flavor and definitely takes this candied yam recipe to the next level.

Coating the sweet yams: Pour the maple sauce over the prepared yams. If necessary, spoon the sauce over the yams making sure all are well coated.

Baking: Cover the yams with foil paper and place in a 375 degree preheated oven and bake until they're nice and tender (about 1 hour). Baste the yams with sauce at the 30 minute mark for further caramelization then place them back in the oven to continue baking.

Why use clarified butter instead of regular butter

What is clarified butter (also known as ghee)? Clarified butter is when water and milk solids have been removed from regular butter during the clarifying process leaving behind just butterfat.

The butterfat is ideal for making this delicious tasting maple sauce. The reason being is that the butterfat helps to thicken the sauce whereby creating a smooth and luscious consistency.

You can definitely use regular butter, but you may find that your sauce may not be as thick.

How to make clarified butter

You can buy clarified butter from the grocery store or make it yourself which is cheaper and very easy. All you need are: 1 or 2 sticks of butter, a pot, and a cheese cloth.

Place a pot over low heat, add butter and allow it to melt
As the butter melts, white foam will appear on the top
Remove the white foam as much as possible by skimming it off with a spoon
You will also see white solids at the bottom (try not to disturb the white solids floating at the bottom)
Allow the butter to cool in the pot
Fold a cheesecloth multiple times and place over a mason jar and allow the melted butter to filter through the cheesecloth so it catches the white solids
Now you have clarified butter (you can use clarified butter for baking and sauteing)
Store in the fridge for later use

Can you prep yams in advance

You can absolutely prep yams in advance. To properly prep them:

Wash the yams thoroughly with cool water, remove the skin with either a vegetable peeler, paring knife or steak knife
Cut them into wedges or rounds which ever you prefer
Add the yams to a bowl of cold water (the cold water prevents them from drying out and developing black spots)
Cover tightly with plastic wrap
Store in fridge for 1 to 2 days

Storing and reheating

Storing

When storing leftover candied yams, place them in an airtight container or ziploc bag and store in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Reheating

When reheating candied yams, remove them from the fridge and place them in a skillet or casserole dish and place in a 375 degree preheated oven until they are heated throughout.

Tips

The best way to store sweet yams is in a cool dark place and not in the fridge after purchasing them from the grocery store. The temperature in the fridge is too cold for sweet yams or potatoes.
Yams grow in the ground which is why they need to be cleaned really well or even scrubbed before peeling the skin.
If you're meal-prepping yams, make sure to add them to a bowl of cold water after cutting to prevent them from drying out then place them in the fridge.
Bake them in the oven instead of boiling to prevent them from becoming watery.
When checking done-ness, pierce the yams with a fork to make sure they're done. If the fork goes through the yam easily, they're done. Do not count on the cooking time specified as oven temperatures and preferred done-ness can vary (use the cooking time as a guide).

Candied Yams Recipe