Bake the potatoes: Preheat oven to 375F (190C). Pierce each potato all over with a fork and place on a baking sheet. Bake in oven until tender when pierced with a fork, about 45-60 minutes.

Cool. Let the potatoes cool until easy to handle then remove the skins. Optional, for smooth texture: sweet potatoes are naturally a bit stringy. If you want a smooth texture, pulse the sweet potatoes in batches in your food processor before moving on to the next step. If you don't mind the more natural texture, skip this step.

Mash. Place sweet potatoes in a large mixing bowl. Mash with a potato masher until there are no large chunks remaining (if you prefer a chunkier texture, feel free to leave some chunks behind).

Mix. Add heavy cream, melted butter, sugar, eggs, maple syrup, cinnamon, vanilla, and salt to the mashed sweet potatoes, stir until well-combined. I prefer to use an electric mixer to make the mixture as smooth as possible, this is optional.

Add pecans & marshmallows. Spread mixture evenly into 9”x13” baking dish. Scatter pecans evenly over top of potatoes (if using), then scatter mini marshmallows evenly over the pecans.

Bake. Transfer baking dish to center rack of 375F (190C) oven and bake for 25-30 minutes, until marshmallows are deeply golden browned.

Serve. Allow to cool for several minutes then serve.