Make these sweet potato bars with maple frosting and everyone will ask for the recipe! Full of seasonal flavors, they’re the perfect fall or holiday dessert.
I love it when a baking experiment turns out better than you ever expected.
But that’s exactly what happened when I decided one day to bake sweet potato bars with maple frosting.
Sweet potatos weren’t originally planned for the 12 Days of Holiday Brownies, Blondies, and Bars series. But one day I found myself with LOTS of extra walnuts, an extra sweet potato, and dessert bars on the brain.
And since sweet potato cupcakes are pretty fantastic, I figured dessert bars aren’t really much of a stretch.
Ground walnuts in the batter help to create a texture like a dense cake, while chopped walnuts throughout the cake add a bit of crunch. And the sweet potato flavor isn’t lost at all in the mix.
That said, the frosting caused more frustration than I’d like to admit.
I initially aimed to make a buttercream using real maple syrup instead of extract. But none of the usual tricks worked. Either there wasn’t enough maple flavor, or the frosting was grainy and loose from the syrup. Womp, womp, womp.
In the end, maple flavored extract came to the rescue. And I’m fine with that. After all, what’s a little experimentation without some on-the-job learning. The final frosting is amazing, and the perfect pair with the sweet potato bars.
[clickToTweet tweet=”Move over pumpkin, there’s a new amazing #fall dessert in town. #food #desserts via @PlayDatesParty” quote=”Move over pumpkin, there’s a new amazing #fall dessert in town. #food #desserts “]
Sweet potato bars with maple frosting are the perfect dessert to place on a holiday buffet. Or make a pan to offer as an alternative to pumpkin pie after Thanksgiving dinner.
Either way…hooray for baking experiments!
Sweet Potato Bars with Maple Buttercream Frosting
Sweet Potato Bars with Maple Frosting
Make these sweet potato bars with maple frosting and everyone will ask for the recipe! Full of seasonal flavors, they’re the perfect fall or holiday dessert.
Ingredients
Sweet Potato Bars
- 1/2 C butter, room temperature
- 1/2 C brown sugar
- 1 egg & 1 egg yolk, room temp
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 C cooked mashed sweet potato
- 1 C All Purpose flour
- 1 C finely ground walnuts, approx 1.25C walnut pieces before grinding
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 t salt
- 1 t ground cinnamon
- 1 t ground ginger
- 1/2 t ground nutmeg
- 1/4 t ground cloves
- 1/2 C milk, room temp
- 1/4 C chopped walnuts
Maple Buttercream Frosting
- 1/2 C 1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2 cup powdered sugar
- 1 1/4 tsp maple syrup flavoring
- 1/4 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 Tbsp whipping cream
Instructions
Sweet Potato Bars
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Prepare a 9x13 cake pan with parchment paper.
- In a stand mixer, beat together the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Mix in the eggs, one at a time. Add vanilla extract and sweet potatoes.
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, ground walnuts, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves.
- Slowly add half the flour mixture to wet ingredients, stirring until just combined. Mix in the milk and then add the remaining flour mixture.
- Fold in 1/4 C chopped walnuts.
- Spread into prepared pan and bake for 15 - 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the pan comes out clean.
- Cool completely before frosting with maple buttercream.
Maple Buttercream Frosting
- Prepare a stand mixer with a whisk attachment.
- Whisk together 1/2 C butter & 1/2 C powdered sugar at medium speed
- Add remaining powdered sugar 1/2 cup at a time until well blended.
- Add salt and maple syrup flavoring 1/4 tsp at a time until desired flavor. Add in vanilla extract and whisk to combine.
- Add whipping cream 1 tablespoon at a time and whip at high speed until frosting is light and fluffy.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
35Serving Size:
1 gramsAmount Per Serving: Unsaturated Fat: 0g
When would you serve sweet potato bars with maple frosting?
What is your favorite sweet potato dessert?
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Jen says
You are amazing! I have been watching all of your recipes and each one gets better than the last, and that is hard to do, because they are all so outstanding! Well done my friend! I would love it if you shared one of your delicious cookie/bar creations over at my cookie and treat exchange going on right now. Happy Holidays!
AmY says
These look so good. It is different than anything I have seen. I hope to make them soon.
Natasha says
These look so delicious! I love cooking with sweet potato instead of pumpkin and my husband loves maple syrup, so these would be a hit at home!
Kristin says
These sound and look amazing!!! I have a sweet potato cake that I do in little ramekins for the perfect portion and they are awesome, so I know I’d love this. That frosting looks fantastic as well!
Helen at the Lazy Gastronome says
These sound really delicious!! A great fall treat – Thanks for sharing on the What’s for Dinner link up!
Carol says
You had me with sweet potato – I have to try this!
Michelle says
Gosh, those look good. I love sweet potatoes and I can’t wait to try them. These would be great for any type of gathering….or breakfast. They’re healthy, right?! 🙂
jhuls says
I have been just looking for maple recipes. This looks so delicious! Thanks for sharing!
Kat (The Baking Explorer) says
They sound amazing, I love the idea of sweet potato with maple syrup!
Margaret @ just needs Paint says
I found your delicious recipe at the Home Stories Link Party. They look absolutely divine and highly addictive. It is on my short list of recipes to try this fall. Thanks for sharing!
Jess says
Pinned! These sound amazing! 🙂
I would love for you to share this with my Facebook Group for recipes, crafts, tips, and tricks: https://www.facebook.com/groups/pluckyrecipescraftstips/
Thanks for joining Cooking and Crafting with J & J!
Tina says
These look absolutely amazing!! Thanks for sharing your recipe- we are going to have to try these for our next fall treat!
Leanna says
This looks really good and a bit different then pumpkin. I really love the idea of maple icing, so delicious.
sue says
Wow – what the kids don’t know won’t hurt them!
April J Harris says
Oh these look amazing! I really like baking with sweet potatoes. I make a delicious sweet potato bread. Love the frosting on your Sweet Potato Bars. Visiting from Foodie Friday at Rattlebridge Farm. If you have time, please do come and share this yummy recipe with us at the Hearth and Soul Link Party live on my site. now. Have a lovely weekend!
Christine says
Those look amazing Leslie! Thanks so much for sharing them with us at the Dishing It & Digging It Link Party. Have a great weekend!
Barbara Radisavljevic says
I am anxious to try these. They look delicious, as well as healthy. I will have to pull out my mother-in-laws’ fancy nut grinder to get the nuts fine enough for this.
Cathy Lawdanski says
These look and sound so delicious! Pinning!
Dean says
Oh my these look amazing!! Thank you so much for sharing with us at #MMBH
XO
Julie says
Your sweet potato bars look so good. Thanks for sharing at C&C with J&J
Tracy @ Our Simple Homestead says
This sounds amazing. I will be definitely trying this recipe soon.
Christina Makri says
You are a master chef!!! All your recipes are so interesting! Thank you for sharing at Sweet Inspiration Link Party 🙂
Jerri says
What a creative recipe. I’ve never seen any bars or cookies made from sweet potatoes. And I bet the maple frosting is yummy! Thanks for linking up for Friday Favorites. I’m featuring you this week.
Jamie says
Sounds delicious I’m not a fan of maple frosting but my husband is. I’ll have to make a batch without it just for me 🙂 I’m bringing back my Monday link party @ DIY Home Sweet Home (first one will be Oct. 16th) and I would love for you to stop by and link up your recipe! https://diyhshp.blogspot.com.
Kylie Travers - The Thrifty Issue says
These look delicious! I can’t wait to try them with my daughters.
MIchele says
YES, please!!! These look and sound amazing. Such a perfect Fall dessert!
Laurie says
Yum! I will definitely give these a try!
Carla@ouramanahsourfutures says
wow these are something I have never heard of. I would never have thought to use sweet potato but they look absoloutly delicious.
Judith A. Graber says
Sweet potato and maple frosting – hmmmm! Thanks for sharing with Fiesta Friday.
Julie @ Back To My Southern Roots says
Yum, yum, yum. These look delish! Thanks for sharing on Foodie Friday!
Jann Olson says
These sound really yummy! I can’t wait to try them. Thanks for sharing with SYC.
hugs,
Jann
Debanita says
I just love these sweet potato bars with maple frosting. Thanks for sharing this recipe at Fiesta Friday!