Only a few more days until Thanksgiving!!  Thanksgiving has long been my favorite food holiday.  Stuffing, turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, cranberry sauce, and pumpkin pie…*sigh.  It’s a well-known fact in my family that I love Pumpkin Pie, I have since I was a wee little one.  However, I am almost positive that I was fed Sweet Potato Pie instead of Pumpkin Pie on occasion without knowing any better.  Well my family may have tricked me, but the joke is on them…it turns out that grown-up Melissa loves Sweet Potato Pie almost as much as Pumpkin Pie.  This recipe for Sweet Potato Pie is a winner, it’s a little thicker than traditional Pumpkin Pie and has a slight difference in spices, but other than that you can barely tell the difference.  So go ahead, trick the little ones in your family, one day they will thank you for it. 🙂

Perfect Sweet Potato Pie                 Printer-Friendly Recipe

Makes: one 9-inch (with extra filling) or 10-inch pie
From: Joy the Baker

Ingredients

One prepared pie crust or your favorite recipe

2 cups mashed cooked sweet potatoes (about 2 medium sweet potatoes)
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, melted
2, 5oz cans of evaporated milk (1 1/4 cups evaporated milk)
3 large eggs
1 Tablespoon vanilla

Boil whole sweet potatoes over medium heat in a covered pot for at least 20 minutes.  To test if the potatoes are ready, stick a sharp knife in them and if there is no resistance and the knifes goes in fast and smoothly, the potatoes are ready.  If the potatoes are not ready after 20 minutes, keep on boiling until they are done.  Place the potatoes on a wire rack to cool.  When the potatoes have cooled, peel them and cut them into chunks in a large bowl.  Mash the potatoes until there are no lumps.

Measure out 2 cups of mashed sweet potatoes and put them in a medium-sized pot.  Add in the brown sugar, coriander, nutmeg, cinnamon, salt, 1/2 stick of butter, and one 5 oz. can of evaporated milk.  Over low heat, whisk together the ingredients and cook until smooth.  The butter and sugars should be melted and the mixture should be smooth and starting to bubble after about 5 minutes.  Remove the pot from the heat and cool.

Beat together 3 eggs in a medium-sized bowl.  Add the remaining 5 oz. can of evaporated milk, granulated sugar, and vanilla to the beaten eggs.  Mix until creamy.  Pour the cooled sweet potatoes into the eggs and blend with a whisk until smooth.  Place in the refrigerator or use immediately.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees with a cookie sheet inside.  Prepare your pie crust and place in a pie pan.  Make sure the dough is spread out evenly over the bottom and up the sides of the plate.  It doesn’t have to be perfect.  Place the prepared pie crust in the freezer until ready to use.

Pour the sweet potato pie filling into the prepared pie crust.  Bake the pie on the heated cookie sheet in the 450 degree oven for 10 minutes.  Now turn the oven down to 325 (300 with convection fan) for 1 hour more.  The pie is ready when the crust has turned golden and the pie is puffed and the center only shakes slightly.  Remove from the oven and let cool on a wire cooling rack for at least 1 hour before serving.  Enjoy!

Boil sweet potatoes. I boiled 4 and used the leftover for mashed sweet potatoes to be used with dinner.

If you’re making your own pie crust, prepare it now and stick in the fridge before rolling out. I made 6 pie crusts at one time in preparation of future pie making!

Once the potatoes are ready, take out of water and let cool on a wire cooling rack.

Once the potatoes are cool, peel and slice them.

Now mash them up.

Measure out 2 cups of mashed sweet potatoes and add in packed brown sugar, all of the spices, salt, 1/2 stick butter, and one 5 oz. can of evaporated milk.

Heat in a medium pot until the butter and sugar are melted down and starting to bubble. Remove from heat and let cool.

Whisk together the eggs, remaining 5 oz. evaporated milk, granulated sugar, and vanilla until smooth and creamy.

Pour the cooled potato mixture into the egg mixture.

Whisk together until smooth.

Roll out pie crust and put in pie plate.

Pour in the pie filling.

Bake at 450 for 10 minutes and then continue baking on 325 for 1 hour. The crust should be golden and the pie should be puffed up and the center should only shake slightly.

Let cool on a wire rack for 1 hour before serving.

Happy day to you!