Cook the sweet potato using your preferred method (see post above for cooking instructions).

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

Allow the potato to cool to room temperature. You can speed up this process by cooling it in the refrigerator. Once cool enough to handle, mash the sweet potato with a fork or potato masher and measure out ⅔ cup.

Transfer the mashed sweet potato to a large bowl, along with the almond butter and pure maple syrup (and vanilla extract, if adding). Mix the wet ingredients together until they are well-combined.

Add the oats, cinnamon, and salt (dry ingredients) to the mixing bowl and mix until a thick, sticky cookie dough forms. The dough will be much stickier than regular cookie dough. This is normal.

If you’d like you can stir in chocolate chips.

Drop mounds of cookie dough onto the parchment lined baking sheet. Note that the dough won’t spread or change form during the baking process, so form it into disc shapes using your hands or press dough balls with the back of large spoon. I make 9 cookies out of the dough but you can make any size cookies you like. Just note that the cook time can vary depending on the size of the dough mounds.

Bake cookies on the center rack of the preheated oven for 10 to 12 minutes or until they are golden brown around the edges.

Remove the cookies from the oven and allow them to cool for at least 10 minutes before moving them off of the cookie sheet. Enjoy!