For some, sweet potato casserole is the most divisive dish on the holiday table. Is it a side? A dessert? Something to smother with gravy or top with marshmallows? Personally, I see it as a sweet treat, full stop, so I decided to take the idea and run with it straight into sticky, swirly, over-the-top cinnamon rolls. This recipe borrows all the classic ingredients—sweet potatoes, brown sugar, pecans, marshmallows—but enfolds them into a pillowy, buttery dough that bakes up perfectly for an after-dinner treat. Or are they a sweet morning pastry? I have a feeling no one will argue either way.
The dough:
These aren’t just cinnamon rolls with a sweet potato filling—the sweet potatoes get mashed right into the dough, giving it an autumnal orange color and an extra-tender texture. I like to use my microwave to soften my potatoes in the shortest amount of time, but you can also cook them whole in the oven (like we did in our baked sweet potatoes guide) or boil them (like we did in our mashed sweet potatoes recipe).
The filling:
Instead of the usual cinnamon sugar filling, here you get a gooey swirl of Marshmallow Fluff, butter, and chopped pecans. Ensure your butter is softened (possibly even slightly over-softened) to guarantee easy mixing of all the ingredients.
The topping:
Classic cinnamon rolls are great with a cream cheese frosting, but to stay in line with the sweet potato casserole/candied yams theme, I opted for a sticky brown sugar glaze here instead. Make sure to melt the sugar into the cream before adding it to the other ingredients to ensure your glaze doesn’t end up gritty. As for the marshmallows, feel free to sprinkle as many or as few on top as you like!
Make ahead & storage:
As with most cinnamon rolls, these are best the day of baking, but leftovers will keep well at room temperature for up to 3 days. Just make sure to cover them tightly with plastic wrap or put them into an airtight container. Reheat them in the microwave or oven to soften them up again.
If you want to get ahead, you can make the dough the night before too—let it have the first rise, shape, and have the second rise in the fridge overnight. If the dough hasn’t doubled in size by morning, let it sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before baking.
Did you try making these? Let me know what you think in the comments below.
