My paternal grandmother is the best southern cook I know. Her sweet potato pie recipe called for 10 pounds of sweet potatoes which made roughly 10 pies. With 8 children of her own to feed, not to mention friend’s and family that would spend Thanksgiving at, “Aunt Dee’s,” it’s no wonder this recipe was created for feeding the masses LOL! The family sweet potato pie recipe was passed on to my mother who often hosted my father’s 7 siblings as well as 8 siblings of her own along with a host of family and friend’s that wouldn’t miss Thanksgiving dinner at Elaine’s! And now the heirloom recipe has been passed on to me. My table is much smaller so we never eat 10 pies. It’s become my tradition to give the extra pies away as a, “thank you”, to my guests or friends. I have not had the guts to alter the recipe because you don’t mess with perfection- until now . With the mathematical help of a friend- and the taste-testing of my husband I have broken down this beloved recipe to share with you so that it yields just two pies! And I still think it tastes as good as grandmas’. So click on the link HERE to get the tutorial on the recipe as well as two easy decorating techniques. Your sweet potato pies will be the talk of the dinner table this year. I also posted the recipe at the end for your convenience.
RECIPE
INGREDIENTS:
- 2 EXTRA LARGE SWEET POTATOES
- 1 CUP PLUS A QUARTER OF A CUP OF WHITE SUGAR
- 1 STICK PLUS A THIRD OF A STICK OF MELTED BUTTER
- 2 BEATEN EGGS
- 3 TABLESPOONS OF EVAPORATED MILK
- 2 TABLESPOONS OF VANILLA
- A PINCH OF SALT
DIRECTIONS:
- PEEL AND BOIL THE SWEET POTATOES, THEN DRAIN THE WATER AND SET ASIDE.
- PREHEAT YOUR OVEN TO 375 DEGREES.
- IN A LARGE BOWL, USING A HAND OR STANDING MIXER BEAT ALL OF THE INGREDIENTS UNTIL THEY ARE THOROUGHLY COMBINED AND THEN EVENLY TRANSFER THE CUSTARD INTO 2 PREPARED PIE CRUSTS.
- PLACE PIES IN THE REFRIGERATOR WHILE YOU MAKE THE DECORATIONS
- ROLL OUT PIE CRUST AND CUT OUT YOUR MESSAGE WITH ALPHABET PIE CRUST CUTTERS FOR ONE PIE. USE LEAF-SHAPED CUTTERS AS WELL AS YOUR OWN FREE-HAND TO CUT PIE DOUGH INTO THE SHAPE OF A TURKEY FOR THE SECOND PIE. THE VIDEO TUTORIAL WILL BE HELPFUL FOR THIS PART.
- COOK PIES ON 375 FOR 15 MINUTES, THEN REDUCE THE HEAT TO 350 AND COVER THE PIES WITH FOIL FOR A HALF HOUR. REMOVE THE FOIL AND COOK FOR AN ADDITIONAL 30-35 MINUTES OR UNTIL THE PIES ARE GOLDEN BROWN.
- LET COOL FOR 15 MINUTES THEN SERVE.
