Sweet Potato Fondant Hearts (Valentine’s Day Sweetheart)

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February 6, 2024

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Valentine’s Day can be more than just sweets, especially when you try these sweet potato fondant. These caramelized-glazed, gluten-free sweet potatoes will melt your heart and excite your taste buds. Imagine fondant sweet potatoes sautéed to perfection in a cinnamon butter and maple syrup broth, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. Enjoy this blend of flavors and textures that will have your loved one and little ones asking for more.

I was rummaging through our drawers to find our toddler’s cooking kit utensils (here’s the kit we used with our little one if you’re interested). They came with these cute shape cutters, one of which happened to be a heart. I may have went a little overboard after using it the first time (it was just so fun). I used that cutter on all kinds of food, testing how far we could go. So when we landed on sweet potatoes, we discovered a wonderful treat. And the best part was we could make these with our little one. Add this to your sweet potato recipes for kids. They will surely ask for seconds.

Whipping Up This Special Treat

You might be surprised how little effort is needed to make these impressive-looking fondant sweet potatoes. It’s a two-step method: the sweet potatoes are sauteed or fried quickly in a sweet broth and then cooked further in the oven.

  1. Start by peeling the sweet potatoes, keeping them whole. Using a heart-shaped cutter similar to this, create 1-1/2” tall cutouts. Gather the remainder of the ingredients.

    Fondant sweet potatoes ingredients in bowls and heart-shaped sweet potato cut-outs next to the bowls on a white countertop
  2. In a pan, sauté the sweet potato hearts in grapeseed oil over medium heat for about 3 minutes until they are a nice brown color on top. Sprinkle 1/4 tsp salt and 1/8 tsp cinnamon over the hearts. Flip the sweet potatoes in the pan, and sprinkle the remaining salt and cinnamon.

    Sweet Potato Fondant sauteed on the outside before the sweet broth is added.
  3. Add butter to the pan and allow it to melt. Then add granulated sugar. Let the mixture cook without stirring. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400℉/200℃. Once the sugar and butter turn a light amber, stir until combined. Add maple syrup, vanilla paste (or extract), and water to the pan, and stir to combine.

    Butter and sugar added to heart-shaped sweet potatoes in a frying pan
  4. Place the pan with the sweet potato hearts in the oven and bake for 20 minutes or until they are tender inside and crispy on the outside.

    Sweet potato fondants in a frying pan that is placed in an oven to cook further
  5. Transfer the cooked sweet potato fondant to a serving dish and pour the butter maple syrup sauce over them.

    Heart-shaped sweet potatoes in a frying pan with a cinnamon butter and maple syrup base at the bottom of the pan.

answers for your questions

What is a potato fondant?

According to Munchery, fondant potatoes are a traditional French Dish. The word ‘fondant’ means melting in French and it’s used to describe the tenderness of the potato. (soft and creamy).

Do you have to use a heart shape?

No, you can use circle cutters or square cutters. The typical shape for this type of recipe is a cylinder. We used these heart cutters for Valentine’s Day, and they’ve been more than helpful.

Do you have to cut them as tall?

Traditional fondant hearts are 2 inches tall. By cutting them tall, you have the balance of crispy exterior, tender interior and a touch of elegance without the fuss. You certainly don’t have to do this but by cutting them smaller, just watch for changes in cook times and making these too crispy (although it probably will taste delicious as fries either way).

How do you store and reheat?

Store in an airtight contained for up to four days and warm in the oven at 350F/177C for 1o minutes.

Sweet Potatoes Fondant in a white serving dish surrounded by the reduced butter and maple syrup sauce

Sweet Potato Fondant Heart

This Valentine’s Day gluten-free side dish features heart-shaped sweet potato fondant basted in cinnamon butter and maple syrup sauce. These hearts are tender on the inside and crispy on the outside.
Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links, which means we will receive a commission if you purchase through those links at no extra cost. 
Servings 3 Servings
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Equipment

  • 1 Heart Shaped Food Cutters
  • 1 Peeler
  • 1 Small Frying Pan
  • 1 Knife
  • 1 Spoon
  • 1 Rubber spatula

Ingredients
  

  • 5 lb Bag of Sweet Potatoes or 6 large sweet potatoes
  • 2 TBSP Butter
  • 1 1/2 tsp Granulated white sugar
  • 1/2 Cup Water
  • 2 TBSP Maple syrup
  • 1/2 tsp Salt
  • 1/4 tsp Cinnamon
  • 1 tsp Vanilla paste or vanilla extract
  • 2 TBSP Grapeseed or Vegetable Oil

Instructions
 

  • Peel the sweet potatoes but don’t cut them in half.
  • Use the heart-shaped cutter to make 1-1/2” tall and 1” wide cutouts from the sweet potatoes
  • Sauté sweet potato in grapeseed oil over medium heat for approximately 3 minutes until nicely browned. Sprinkle 1/4 tsp salt and 1/8 tsp cinnamon over the sweet potatoes.
  • Flip sweet potatoes over onto the other side in the pan and sprinkle in the remaining salt and cinnamon.
  • Add butter to the pan and let it melt. Then add granulated sugar. Wait to mix!
  • While waiting, preheat oven to 400℉/ 200℃.
  • Allow sugar and butter to get to a light amber color, and then stir until combined
  • Add maple syrup, vanilla paste (or extract), and water. Stir to combine
  • Put the pan with the sweet potato hearts in the oven for 20 minutes or until tender on the inside and crispy on the top of the hearts.
  • Place sweet potato fondant in a serving dish and pour the butter maple syrup sauce into the serving dish
Author: Relatable Ladle
Course: Appetizer, Dinner
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Egg-free, Gluten-free, Grain-free, Nut-free, Sesame-free
How did your Sweet Potato Fondant Turn out?

Drop us a comment down below if you made these! Check out our other Valentine’s Day recipes:

Mozzarella Hearts
Coconut and Fruit Jelly Hearts
Apricot Cheese
Roasted Red Pepper Bisque

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