Sweet Potato Balls

Recipe courtesy Paula Deen

Show: Food Network SpecialsEpisode: Paula's Southern Thanksgiving

Rated: 4 stars out of 5Rate itRead users' reviews (230)

Cook Time:
20 min
Level:
Easy
Yield:
4 to 6 servings

Times:

Prep: 5 min
Inactive Prep: --
Cook: 20 min
Total:: 25 min

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Ingredients

4 large sweet potatoes
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons orange juice
1 teaspoon orange zest
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
2 cups shredded coconut, sweetened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 large marshmallow per potato ball

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Bake the potatoes until tender, then peel and mash them. Stir in the brown sugar, orange juice, zest and nutmeg. In a separate bowl, toss the coconut with the sugar and cinnamon. Press mashed potatoes around each marshmallow, creating a 2 to 3-inch diameter ball. Roll the balls in the coconut mixture. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes. Watch carefully for the last few minutes of cooking; the expanding marshmallows can cause the potato balls to burst open.

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Comments & Reviews

recipe Sweet Potato Balls
Dani Sun Valley, NV 11-04-2009
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Great for families with kids - few changes
Rated: 4 stars out of 5

We made these last year at Thanksgiving and they have become a holiday tradition. I, like several others, omitted the... orange ingredients, as I'm not fond of orangey sweet potatoes. I also cut back on the brown sugar, to half. When I made these, we had a coconut allergy in the house, so I rolled them in oats and sugar and cinnamon, and I used canned sweet potatoes instead of fresh ones. This meant I had to drain them, and pat them dry, and after mashing I again tried to get a little more moisture out of the mash. HUGE success. Everyone loved these, they didn't fall apart on me and the marshmallows stayed intact. :)Read more
recipe Sweet Potato Balls
annabelle gilbert, AZ 12-31-2008
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I love Paula deen but these were not my favorite.
Rated: 1 stars out of 5

So i made these beautiful balls. But after they were cooked i have to agree with other comments that its messy and not very... good. Deffinatly to much sugar. I tried to eat them but never even served them on the table.Read more
recipe Sweet Potato Balls
Shari Alpharetta, GA 12-29-2008
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This recipe is very easy and can be made ahead....
Rated: 4 stars out of 5

I typically make a sweet potato souffle for Thanksgiving and wanted to try these for Christmas. I always try to do as much... prep work as possible before the big day and decided to try to make these potato balls the day before, with a few modifications. I let the sweet potatoes fully cool before mashing, I omitted the orange juice and zest, and cut back the brown sugar to 1/3 of a cup. I also used only 1/2 of a large marshmallow after reading several reviews about oozing with a full one. I chose to roll the balls in chopped pecans and then placed each ball in a cup of a nonstick muffin tin (the recipe made exactly 12 large balls--enough to fill a full tin). I put the filled muffin tin in the refrigerator overnight and baked the next day after removing my turkey from the oven. They came out perfectly, though the marshmallows had vanished. upon cutting into them (I think I overbaked a few minutes). They were a hit and I will definitely make them again. Don't be intimidated by the reviews saying these are messy. If you have ever made a meatloaf or meatballs, these are much less messy. My teenage son even helped and he rarely assists in the kitchen. He mentioned how easy they were and he gobbled them up at dinner. Read more
recipe Sweet Potato Balls
none none, GA 12-28-2008
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Overload!
Rated: 2 stars out of 5

A big disappointment. This is one of those dishes that the first bite is good - different, interesting. The second bite is... whoa - that is a lot of sugar and way too much much orange flavor. By the third bite yuck- there is no way I can eat the whole thing. Maybe if you cut WAY back on the sugar and left out the orange it would be edible, but still too much effort for the result.Read more
recipe Sweet Potato Balls
Ming Round Rock, TX 11-29-2008
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Something Different
Rated: 4 stars out of 5

I do not have much cooking experience but this is a very easy and fun recipe to make. It was a little too sweet for most of... the family, but the kids loved it. I would suggest serve it cold, tasted better. Definitely something different but it wasn't a WOW!! Read more
recipe Sweet Potato Balls
Cindy Addison, AL 11-22-2008
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The Potato Bomb!!!!!!!
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

These are the best things I have ever tried!! The recipe is easy and fun. You can make the balls as big as you need for them... to be. The kids enjoy them because of the "surprise" inside. Adults love them because of the wonderful and festive taste. Another winner from Paula!!!Read more