Sweet Potato Sonker Recipe

This sweet potato sonker recipes is a very easy, comforting and delicious dessert, this is a traditional sonker from Surry County, NC. Served with "milk dip" baked on top and on the side, it's a warming and homey treat you can make with just a few pantry and fridge staples.

Course Cobblers, Crisps and More

Cuisine American

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 1

Sweet Potato Cooking Time 35

Total Time 1 55

Servings servings

Calories 487kcal

Author Jennifer Field

Equipment

Ingredients

For the Sweet Biscuit Dough

2 cups all purpose flour plus more for flouring your work surface (measured by spoon and sweep method)
⅓ cup brown sugar packed (I used Dixie Crystals)
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon fine sea salt or table salt
1 stick cold butter cut into chunks
6 oz 3/4 cup cold half and half (sub whole milk if you don't have half and half)

For the Milk Dip

1 ½ cups whole milk
⅓ cup granulated sugar
2 ½ teaspoons flour
heavy pinch of salt
1 teaspoon vanilla

For the Filling

2 quarts water
4 teaspoons fine sea salt or table salt
2 large sweet potatoes about 2 pounds, peeled
1 cup reserved sweet potato cooking water
1 cup brown sugar packed
¼ cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)

Instructions

For the Sweet Biscuit Dough

Whisk together the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, and salt.
Add the cubed butter and toss to coat.
Rub the butter into the flour mixture until the flour is coarse like cornmeal and you still have a few larger pieces of butter in the bowl.
Pour in the milk and stir together with a knife until you have a shaggy dough.
Liberally dust your work surface with more flour, and turn the dough out.
Add a bit more flour on top and knead/press together 3-4 times.
Quickly roll the dough out to about 1/4" thickness.
Cut strips of dough to fit up the sides of a 1 1/2 quart baking dish, leaving the bottom empty.
Refrigerate the lined pan for about an hour. Wrap the remaining dough in waxed paper or plastic wrap and refrigerate until assembly.

For the Milk Dip

In a small saucepan, bring the milk, sugar, flour, and salt to a boil, whisking frequently.
Allow the sauce to boil for 15 seconds or so.
Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla.
Cool and chill. You can serve the sauce at room temperature, chilled or even warm. Your call.

For the Sweet Potato Filling

Put the water into a pan just large enough to hold your peeled sweet potatoes.
Add the salt and stir well.
Place the potatoes in the pan. It's okay if the water doesn't completely cover them. You can just turn them frequently. That's what I did.
Bring the pot to a boil and keep at a low boil until you can insert a fork pretty easily down into the center of the potatoes, about 30-35 minutes.
Remove from the water with tongs and let cool to just warm, about 30 minutes or so.
Reserve one cup of the cooking liquid and let cool.
Slice the sweet potatoes into thin rounds. You can also cut them into small chunks or even mash them. Whatever is easiest for you.
Layer the potatoes into your prepared pan. Your pan will be pretty full of sweet potatoes!
Whisk the flour together with a bit of the cooking water and whisk until you have a paste. Keep whisking and slowly add the rest of the liquid.
Whisk in the optional cinnamon if you'd like. Or use your own favorites like pumpkin pie spice or apple pie spice.
Whisk in the sugar and an additional pinch of salt if you think it needs it.
Carefully pour the sugar/water/flour mixture over the sweet potatoes.
Cut out the remaining dough to fit over the top of the sonker and cut some vent holes to let steam escape.
Bake at 375F on a parchment- or foil-lined baking sheet (for easier clean-up) for about 40 minutes.
Slowly pour about 1/2 cup of the milk dip over the top of the sonker and let it soak down into the vent holes.
Bake an additional 15-20 minutes until the juices are bubbling all over. If the crust browns too quickly, tent it loosely with foil.
Serve warm with additional milk dip passed at the table.

Video

Notes

Storing

Store, refrigerated, for up to 4 days. Reheat to serve.

Freezing Instructions

If you want to freeze it, your best bet is to freeze it unbaked. You can bake it from frozen if you have a pan that won't break when you do that.

If you know you're going to freeze it, consider making it in a cake pan or in a recyclable aluminum pan.

Make the whole sonker, and freeze it overnight. Then wrap it well in plastic wrap and foil. Bake at 375 until done--make sure the juices are bubbling all over. If the crust seems like it's browning too much before the juices bubble, cover the top loosely with foil and keep baking.

You can also bake your sonker, let it cool, portion out into individual bowls, and freeze those. Let each portion thaw in the fridge overnight and then bake at 350F until hot.

If you don't mind that it won't be crisp, you can also reheat in the microwave.

Nutrition