Cranberry Apple Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes (Print Version)

Sweet potatoes stuffed with caramelized apples, cranberries, and pecans, seasoned with cinnamon and nutmeg.

# What You'll Need:

→ Sweet Potato Base

01 - 6 medium sweet potatoes, uniform size
02 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
03 - Salt and black pepper to taste

→ Apple Cranberry Filling

04 - 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
05 - 2 large apples (Granny Smith or Honeycrisp), peeled and diced (½-inch pieces)
06 - 1 cup fresh cranberries
07 - ¼ cup light brown sugar
08 - 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
09 - ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
10 - ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
11 - ½ cup pecans, chopped and toasted

→ Optional Enhancements

12 - 2 tablespoons maple syrup
13 - ¼ cup sliced almonds
14 - Fresh thyme leaves for garnish
15 - Flaky sea salt for finishing

# How to Make It:

01 - Preheat oven to 425°F. Line large baking sheet with parchment paper. Scrub sweet potatoes thoroughly and dry completely.
02 - Pierce each sweet potato several times with fork. Rub all over with olive oil and season generously with salt and pepper. Arrange on prepared baking sheet, spacing evenly.
03 - Roast sweet potatoes for 40–45 minutes, until very tender when pierced with knife. Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes.
04 - While sweet potatoes roast, melt butter in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add diced apples in single layer and cook undisturbed for 2–3 minutes to caramelize.
05 - Stir apples, then add cranberries, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and kosher salt. Cook stirring occasionally for 5–7 minutes, until cranberries begin to burst and apples are golden and tender.
06 - Stir in toasted pecans during final minute of cooking. Remove skillet from heat.
07 - Once sweet potatoes are cool enough to handle, cut each lengthwise down center. Use fork to gently fluff interior, pressing ends toward center to widen opening.
08 - Spoon apple cranberry filling generously into each sweet potato, mounding high. Return filled potatoes to baking sheet.
09 - Bake for additional 10 minutes at 425°F, until heated through and filling edges are slightly caramelized.
10 - Remove from oven and rest for 2–3 minutes. Drizzle with maple syrup, garnish with additional toasted pecans, sliced almonds, fresh thyme leaves, and sprinkle of flaky sea salt if desired. Serve warm.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • The contrast of creamy sweet potato against crunchy pecans and burst cranberries hits every texture craving
  • These can be mostly prepped ahead, so youre not frantically cooking when guests arrive
  • The maple syrup finish makes them feel special enough for holidays but easy enough for Tuesday dinner
02 -
  • Letting the sweet potatoes cool for just 5 minutes after roasting makes them so much easier to handle without burning your fingers
  • Really mound the filling high because it settles down during that second bake
03 -
  • If your sweet potatoes are massive, cut them in half crosswise before roasting to reduce cooking time
  • Line that baking sheet with parchment unless you enjoy scrubbing caramelized sugar off pans for twenty minutes
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