Sweet Potato Pie
Howdy, folks! Thanks for stopping by the website. I reckon it's close to Thanksgiving time, if you've come here from Googling the words "best sweet potato pie recipe ever" - and you've come to the right place, because this is exactly what this recipe is. The best sweet potato pie recipe ever.
This is an old-fashioned sweet potato pie recipe, just like Mama used to make. This recipe comes with a special whipped cream topping, using real cream flavored with cloves and brown sugar. If you have a lot of folks coming over, you may want to double or triple this recipe, because everyone will want seconds AND leftovers.
Old-Fashioned Pie Crust
First off, let me tell you that I'm not going to get mad at you if you buy pie crust dough or even a pre-baked pie crust this year. We're all out there working hard, and if taking the shortcut makes your holiday better, do it. Skip to the filling part of this recipe and enjoy. For the rest of you, we have an old-fashioned, authentic pie crust recipe that has been tested and perfected year after year.
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This pie crust recipe will yield you a top and bottom crust for a 9 inch pie pan.
Tip: You can freeze any leftover pie crust dough for future use.
Start by mixing the dry ingredients together in a medium sized bowl. Once everything is well mixed, it's time to cut in the butter.
Tip: Start with a little less flour than the recipe calls for. You can always add more if needed.
For best results, you want your butter to be cold. Then, using a pastry cutter or fork, cut the butter into the flour until the butter and flour are consistently crumbly throughout. When it's time to roll out the crust, you want to see some butter in there.
Tip: Freeze the butter for about 30 minutes before adding to the flour.
Once the butter is cut in and the consistency is flaky/crumbly, begin to knead the dough together with your hands. The warmth of your hands is part of this recipe! This is one of the intangible elements that make this an authentic, old-fashioned pie crust.
If the dough is sticky, add a little more flour. You want to err on the side of the dough being a little wet vs. a little dry. Roll up into a ball, divide in half, and chill for about 2 hours in the ice box.
Two hours later . . .
Remove the pie crust from the ice box and flatten out with your hands. Set on a floured surface. Roll out until 1/4" thick.
This is where you want to preheat your oven to 375 and get your pie pan greased up. For outdoor cooking, we're using a 10" Dutch oven. For best results, brown the butter before you use it to grease the pan.
To brown the butter, bring it to a simmer, gently stirring around. It will begin to turn brown and will give off a distinct nutty smell. That's where you want to be. Lightly grease the pie plate or Dutch oven with the brown butter. We'll use the rest of the brown butter in the sweet potato pie filling.
Place the pie crust over the top of the Dutch oven and gently press down so that the crust is flat along the bottom of the crust. Press into the sides to form the "edge" of the pie, about 3" tall, with the top edge having some thickness. See image below.
Most of the time, the dough is not distributed evenly, and it's ok to pull some dough from the thick parts and patch over the thin ones. Just press everything together nice and firmly and you'll have a beautiful result.
Time for the finishing touches! First, poke some holes in the bottom of the crust with a fork. Second, to prevent the crust from rising from the bottom, add a pie weight, or dry beans. Shannon and I have always used beans because they're cheap and effective and always in the pantry.
Bake 15-17 minutes or until you see the edges begin to brown. Remove the beans and cook for another 8-10 minutes.
Sweet Potato Pie Filling
Begin by peeling the sweet potatoes. Cut them into equal sized chunks, so they'll all take the same amount of time to cook. Bring a pot of water to a boil and cook for about 20 minutes until they're fork tender.
Drain and mash. Add the brown butter we made earlier. Add the brown sugar, white sugar, eggs, cinnamon, allspice, cloves, nutmeg, and vanilla extract. Add 1/3 cup evaporated milk, and a couple of tablespoons of sweetened condensed milk if you like your pie a little sweeter. Don't forget to add a pinch of salt!
Add the flour and mix. When the batter is thicker than pancake batter, you're on the right track. Add a little more flour if it isn't.
Fill the pie crust until there is about a 1/2" of crust showing over the edges, and then bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or so until the batter is firmed up all the way through. If you press down on the pie with your hands, it will feel a little spongy.
Brown Sugar Whipped Cream
Again, if you're busy and you choose to buy some Cool Whip or whipped cream from the dairy, I'm not going to be upset at you. However, this is so delicious, that I suggest you take that storebought whipped cream and add the sugar and spices from this recipe, whip them up, and serve with this pie.
To start from scratch, pour the heavy cream into a bowl. Add the light brown sugar, white sugar, cinnamon, and cloves. Whip at medium high - high speed until the cream begins forming peaks. Serve with the sweet potato pie.
Tip: Use a metal or glass bowl that's been in the ice box for about 30 minutes, and the cream will set up faster.
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