If you are a sweet potato fan you may already know this fabulous vegetable is a member of the morning glory family. Sweet potatoes are a tuberous root vegetable, which means the vegetable grows from the roots underground.

Even though they are native to the tropical areas of Central and South America, they are easy to grow locally and the foliage makes a beautiful addition to any home garden or kitchen window. The sweet potato has two distinct colorings: dark brown, which produces a lovely, dark orange flesh; and a pale skin variety with pale, orange flesh. The sweet potato is not related to the African yam, although the sweet potato with the light skin and pale orange flesh looks very similar.

Sweet potatoes, especially the dark skin variety, can be used as substitutes for regular potatoes in baking and cooking. They are full of nutrients and their sweet flavor makes them an excellent choice for making moist, flavorful biscuits.

Biscuits are a great food to make with your family because there are so many steps for kids to do. From peeling the potatoes to rolling out and cutting the dough, this is a fun recipe for kids to get messy with and help prepare. The end result produces a sweet and moist biscuit. And kids will love the orange coloring of the biscuits, thanks to the sweet potato. Try this with your kids and enjoy this new twist on an old favorite as you celebrate the morning (or evening)!

Sweet Potato Biscuit Recipe (recipe adapted from Paula Dean biscuit recipe)

1 1/4 cups all purpose flour

2 tablespoons sugar

4 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup mashed cooked sweet potatoes

1/2 stick softened butter

2 to 4 tablespoons milk (depending on the moisture of the potatoes)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

Stir together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. In a separate large bowl mix sweet potatoes and butter.  Add flour mixture to potato mixture and mix to make soft dough. Add milk a tablespoon at a time until mixture is moist but not overly wet. Turn dough out onto a floured surface and shape until 1/2-inch thick and cut with biscuit cutter (a juice glass also works). Place biscuits on greased pan and bake for 15 minutes.