Brown Butter Sweet Potato Squares

Name: Brown Butter Sweet Potato Squares
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 70 min
Total time: 100 min
Yield: 16 servings
Cuisine: AMERICAN
Ingredients: 1 cup (4 oz./125 g) pecans; 16 Tbs. (2 sticks) (8 oz./250 g) plus 3 Tbs. unsalted butter; 2 1/4 cups (11 1/2 oz./360 g) all-purpose flour; 1/2 cup (3 1/2 oz./105 g) firmly packed light brown sugar; 2 tsp. vanilla extract; 1/2 tsp. salt; 2 cups (500 g) pureed roasted sweet potatoes; 6 Tbs. (3 fl. oz./90 ml) maple syrup; 3/4 cup (6 fl. oz./180 ml) heavy cream; 1/2 cup (4 oz./125 g) cr&#232;me fra&#238;che; 3 eggs; 1 tsp. ground cinnamon; 1/4 tsp. ground ginger; 1/8 tsp. ground cloves; 1/2 tsp. salt; 3 egg whites; 3/4 cup (6 oz./185 g) granulated sugar; Seeds from 1 vanilla bean; Pinch of salt

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Yossy Arefi, a blogger, baker and food stylist, knows that pecans and sweet potatoes are a classic pairing, often combined in casseroles and topped with marshmallows for holiday meals. Here, she lets those ingredients really shine in her delicious riff on sweet potato pie, which gets a wonderful toasty flavor from browned butter. The bars are crowned with a swirly meringue topping, which is so much better than marshmallows from a bag.

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 70 minutes

Servings 16

Ingredients

For the crust:

1 cup (4 oz./125 g) pecans
16 Tbs. (2 sticks) (8 oz./250 g) plus 3 Tbs. unsalted butter
2 1/4 cups (11 1/2 oz./360 g) all-purpose flour
1/2 cup (3 1/2 oz./105 g) firmly packed light brown sugar
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. salt

For the filling:

2 cups (500 g) pureed roasted sweet potatoes
6 Tbs. (3 fl. oz./90 ml) maple syrup
3/4 cup (6 fl. oz./180 ml) heavy cream
1/2 cup (4 oz./125 g) crème fraîche
3 eggs
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
1/8 tsp. ground cloves
1/2 tsp. salt

For the meringue:

3 egg whites
3/4 cup (6 oz./185 g) granulated sugar
Seeds from 1 vanilla bean
Pinch of salt

Directions

Preheat an oven to 350°F (180°C). Line a 9-inch (23-cm) square baking pan with parchment paper or aluminum foil.

To make the crust, spread the pecans on a baking sheet and toast in the oven until golden and fragrant, about 5 minutes. Let cool slightly, then transfer to a food processor and pulse until finely ground.

While the pecans are toasting, brown the butter: In a saucepan over medium-high heat, melt the butter, stirring occasionally, until the butter foams, about 3 minutes. Continue cooking until the foam subsides and the butter is golden in color and smells nutty and fragrant, about 3 minutes. Transfer the butter to a large bowl and let cool. Set aside 3 Tbs. of the browned butter for the filling.

To the bowl with the remaining cooled browned butter, add the flour, brown sugar, vanilla, salt and ground pecans and stir until combined. Pat the dough evenly into the prepared pan and bake until golden brown, about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the filling: In a large bowl, whisk together the reserved 3 Tbs. browned butter, sweet potatoes, maple syrup, cream, crème fraîche, eggs, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and salt until smooth. Pour the filling over the warm crust and return the pan to the oven. Bake until the filling is set but still slightly wiggly in the center, about 30 minutes.

Just before the bars are finished baking, make the meringue: In a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water, whisk together the egg whites and granulated sugar until the sugar has dissolved and the egg whites are very warm to the touch, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat. Using an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the egg white mixture on high speed until stiff peaks form, 5 to 7 minutes, then beat in the vanilla and salt.

Top the warm, baked sweet potato filling with swoops of meringue and toast with a kitchen torch or under a hot broiler for a few seconds until lightly browned. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool completely, then cut into rectangles and serve. Store leftover bars in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days; the crust will soften as it sits. Makes about 16 squares.

Recipe by Yossy Arefi, creator of the blog Apt. 2B Baking Co.