Step 1

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Prick sweet potatoes once on both sides with a fork. Wrap each sweet potato with a sheet of aluminum foil.

Step 2

Place sweet potatoes on baking sheet and bake in preheated oven 40 minutes*. Turn to opposite side and continue to bake until a knife easily glides through potatoes, about 30 - 50 minutes longer.

Step 3

Near the end of potatoes baking, place butter in a light colored medium skillet or saucepan. Heat over medium heat, and let cook, stirring occasionally until butter has browned (brown flecks should just start to bubble up into foam if using a saucepan it's harder to tell). Pour into a dish so it doesn't continue to cook and burn.

Step 4

Once potatoes are cool enough to handle or using oven mitts, peel potatoes or scoop flesh from peels into a large bowl.

Step 5

Mash with a potato masher. Texture will be chunky.

Step 6

Add browned butter and maple syrup. Using an electric hand mixer blend on low speed until combined, season with salt and pepper to taste. Increase mixer speed and whip until smoother and creamy.

Step 7

Serve warm topped with more browned butter if desired.