Sweet Potato Casserole

I asked a large group of friends what their favorite sweet potato casserole recipes were because there was this one Thanksgiving, years ago, when I remember having some fantastic sweet potatoes and I remember the lady saying, "Now these are about as close to pumpkin pie as you get without actually being pumpkin pie... you just need some whipped cream!" Oh man! Those were good! So, based on that request, I got several tried and true choices, but this one was my favorite! It's almost like cheating the system and getting two pieces of pie for Thanksgiving without anyone knowing!

Sweet Potato Casserole

4 cups mashed sweet potatoes
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 cup butter
2 eggs, beaten, room temperature

Topping:
1/2 cup flour
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup butter
1 1/2 cup chopped pecans
Optional marshmallows

Casserole- Combine all ingredients and place in 9x13 dish. Topping- mix ingredients and spread on potatoes. Bake at 325 degrees for 25 minutes. Optionally, add marshmallows in stripes and cook until brown and melted during the last 8 minutes or so of baking.

*The lady that gave me this recipe said that sometimes she will add an extra 1/8-1/4 cup white sugar if things aren't sweet enough because not all sweet potatoes are the same.