Cinn-ful Sweet Potato Cookies

I was challenged to try and make cookies with a typically savory ingredient: potatoes. There are some cookies out there that call for potato starch, but that didn’t quite fit the bill for what I wanted. I used Google Image Search to see what sort of potato cookies I could find and I found a number of recipes with sweet potatoes. I knew I had some canned sweet potatoes in the cupboard, so I figured I would give them a try. (You could always use pumpkin if you don’t want to use sweet potatoes.)

The original recipe for these was vegan, using coconut oil, but I just decided to use butter. I used the butter at room temperature and it didn’t fully incorporate, but in the end that didn’t seem to matter. The dough is very soft and sticky so chill these before you bake them or you will end up with a sticky mess. Topping the cookies with a pecan half is optional, but I think that adds a lot. You could also add other bits to the dough if you wanted: chocolate chips, nuts or dried fruits.

These cookies are very soft and cakey. They bake up into these perfect looking cookies, which was a nice surprise. The cinnamon and the sweet potato is a great combination and the pecan adds crunch. I made mine quite large, as my recipe only made 2-1/2 dozen rather than the 3-4 dozen that the original recipe made. I suppose these cookies would be perfect for fall baking, but they are wonderful any time of the year.

2 cups flour or whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
¾ teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup butter, room temperature
1 cup cooked, mashed sweet potatoes
1 cup brown sugar, packed
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla
Pecan halves, for topping

In a small bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. In a large mixer bowl, beat the butter until creamy. Add the sweet potato, brown sugar, maple syrup, and vanilla and mix on medium until combined. Reduce the mixer speed to low and stir in the flour mixture, stirring just until combined. Refrigerate the dough for 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with silicone baking mats.
Drop the dough by the heaping tablespoonful onto the prepared baking sheets. Top each cookie with a pecan half.

Bake for 12 to 14 minutes, until they are just beginning to brown around the edges. Allow to cool on a wire rack.

Recipe from Alisa Cooks