Twice-baked sweet potatoes with cranberry, apple, warm spices, and a touch of maple syrup.
# What You Need:
→ Sweet Potatoes
01 - 4 large sweet potatoes
→ Filling
02 - 1 medium apple (Honeycrisp or Granny Smith), peeled and diced
03 - 1/2 cup fresh or frozen cranberries
04 - 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
05 - 2 tablespoons maple syrup
06 - 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
07 - 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
08 - Salt, to taste
→ Optional Topping
09 - 1/3 cup chopped pecans
10 - Additional maple syrup, for drizzling
# Directions:
01 - Preheat oven to 400°F. Scrub sweet potatoes, dry, prick all over with a fork, and place on a baking sheet. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes until tender when pierced with a fork.
02 - Melt butter in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add diced apple and cranberries, then sprinkle in cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 4 to 6 minutes until apples soften and cranberries begin to burst. Remove from heat.
03 - When potatoes are cool enough to handle, halve lengthwise. Carefully scoop out most of the flesh, leaving a 1/4-inch border to maintain the skin's structure.
04 - In a bowl, mash the sweet potato flesh. Fold in the apple-cranberry mixture and maple syrup gently, maintaining some texture without over-mashing.
05 - Spoon the filling back into sweet potato shells. If desired, sprinkle with chopped pecans and drizzle with extra maple syrup.
06 - Return filled potatoes to the oven and bake for 10 to 12 minutes until heated through and tops are golden. Serve warm.
