Pretty and appealing, Spirited Southern Sweet Potato bars are easy to like. Until you think about it you’ll scarcely notice the intriguing addition of red pepper or the flavor of the bourbon. Even then it’s just a whisper for those who are listening.
Autumn Traditions
I love tradition. As autumn gathers I find joy in the slight chill in the air, the dance of colorful leaves, the smell of logs in the fireplace and the crackle of friendly fires. These cues inspire my anticipation of traditional fall fare: hearty soups and stews, apples fragrant with cinnamon and nutmeg, roasted squashes and root vegetables.
Sometimes though, what I love best about tradition is the opportunity to turn it upside down, or at least sideways. I enjoy rethinking traditions, looking for ways to make them new and to satisfy my own sense of good taste in the process.
Maybe that’s what attracted me to Spirited Southern Sweet Potato Bars in the first place. This is a recipe I cut from the newspaper many years ago. It gives a new twist to an age-old favorite: Pumpkin Bars.
Sweet Potato Bars with Southern Spirit
Making autumn bar cookies with sweet potatoes rather than pumpkin is a great idea. It maintains a similar texture for those who already know and enjoy Pumpkin Bars. What it adds is the potential for a richer color. Then, for crunch, this recipe adds oats and a streusel topping. The real twist comes from a splash of bourbon and a good sized pinch of ground red pepper. Both intrigued me, appealing strongly to my southern spirit.
These Sweet Potato Bars still appeal to me today. They take traditional fall ingredients and flavors in a slightly unusual direction. Pretty and appealing these bars are easy to like. It’s not until you slow down to savor a bite that you begin to consider the slight warmth contributed by the red pepper and the complexity of the flavor developed by the bourbon. Even then it’s just a whisper for those who are listening – not a shout that threatens to topple expectations.
Spirited Southern Sweet Potato Bars
Course: DessertCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy15
servings25
minutes50
minutes1
hour15
minutesThese pretty Sweet Potato Bars include a hint of red pepper and a splash of bourbon for an appealing contrast to the sweet pecan streusel topping.
Ingredients
2 cups old-fashioned oats, uncooked
1 1/2 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
1 cup butter, slightly softened
2/3 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cusp mashed, cooked sweet potato
2 eggs, slightly beaten
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 Tablespoons bourbon
1 cup chopped pecans, toasted
Directions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease a 13 x 9 inch baking pan.
- In a medium bowl combine the oats and flour, mixing well. Remove 2/3 cup of the oat-flour mixture to a smaller bowl. Stir in the salt and ground red pepper. Set aside for the filling.
- To the remaining oat-flour mixture add the butter, white sugar and vanilla.
- Blend with an electric mixer until the mixture is crumbly. Remove 1 cup of the mixture and set aside for the topping. Press the remaining mixture evenly across the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes. Remove from oven.
- Meanwhile, in a medium bowl comine the sweet potato, eggs, brown sugar, bourbon and reserved 2/3 cup of the oat-flour mixture. Mix well. Spread the filling over the warm crust.
- Add the toasted nuts to the reserved crumb mixture and sprinkle evenly over the sweet potato filling.
- Bake at 375F for 30 – 35 minutes or until the topping begins to brown. Cool on a wire rack. Cut into bars. Serve at room temperature. Store remaining bars in the refrigerator.
Notes
- Recipe Source: an old newspaper clipping where the recipe was attributed to Quaker Oats.
- Serving Idea: To dress up these bars for a special dessert drizzle dessert dishes with Caramel Sauce and place a Sweet Potato Bar on top. More Caramel Sauce can be drizzled on top or served on the side. Top with Whipped Cream and garnish with a toasted pecan half if desired. While the bars are sweet enough on their own I found that the Caramel Sauce added a very appealing flavor note to these Spirited Southern Sweet Potato Bars.
Would using butternut squash work? I grow it and am looking for ways to use it. Or maybe canned pumpkin?
Hi, Katrina. Thanks for your question. I think you could safely substitute mashed butternut squash for mashed sweet potatoes in this recipe. I think canned pumpkin would also work. I have never made these bars except as written here but I can’t think of any good reason why either substitution wouldn’t work.
I would have never thought to add heat to sweet potato bars, but they sound delicious! Fall flavors are the best.
this is a completely unique sweet potato treat! what a brilliant idea and terrific combination of fall flavors. i like this one a lot, lisa!