Candied Coconut Pecan Yams II

Here we go again!  Round two.  A shredded version of this recipe was featured previously and it was unspectacular.  This, despite numerous rave reviews on several cooking and blog sites.  How could all those reviews be so wrong?  The recipes were all substantially similar, with the exception of two different method for cutting the yams.  One was shredded, the other sliced.  So here we go again with sliced yams instead of shredded.

Fourteen to sixteen people are coming for Thanksgiving. If this turns out to be a flop, who cares?  There will tons of other great food to divert everyone's attention. Two sides were made in the crock for this feast, which freed up oven space, left lots of time to make other goodies, and the crocks did double duty as chaffing dishes.

Winner, Loser or Meh

This was outstanding and went fast.  People wanted the recipe. Cousin Cake Queen told them it would be on the blog. What a difference a slice makes.  This got all crusty and nice on the edges.  A new Thanksgiving staple.

Recipe

I used a 6 quart crock pot for this in order to accommodate Thanksgiving dinner for 16.  This recipe can be halved and still fits in a 6 quart crock or halved and made in  a 3-4 quart crock.

Ingredients:

• 4 pounds yams, peeled, sliced into 1/4-1/3 inch thick rounds or halves
• 2 tsp vanilla extract (this would have been half vanilla and half coconut, but no coconut could be found)
• 1/2 cup butter, melted (vegans can use margarine)
• 1 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1/2 cup sweetened shredded coconut
• 1/2 cup pecans pieces
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  
• 4 Tbls butter, cut into tiny cubes
  

Spray no stick cooking spray in crock. Add yams to the crock.  Add vanilla to melted butter.  Pour butter over yams.  Mix sugar, coconut, pecans and cinnamon together in a small bowl.  Spread evenly over the yams.  Dot butter chunks evenly over the top. Cover.  Cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 6-8 hours. Serve warm.