Extra-vibrant garnet yams lend bright color and silky texture to this special holiday pie. Regular sweet potatoes are also delicious in this recipe and just as sweet and moist, but the color of the filling will be a little more muted.
| Level: | Intermediate |
| Total: | 5 hr 20 min |
| Prep: | 40 min |
| Inactive: | 1 hr 40 min |
| Cook: | 3 hr |
| Yield: | 8 to 10 servings |
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 8 tablespoons (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
- 3 to 4 tablespoons ice water
- 1 1/2 pounds garnet yams or sweet potatoes (about 3 medium)
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
- 2/3 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Pinch kosher salt
- 1 cup pecans, coarsely chopped
- 1/2 cup sweetened flaked coconut
- Whipped cream, for serving, optional
Instructions
- For the crust: Pulse the flour, sugar, salt and baking powder in the bowl of a food processor until combined. Add half of the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles fine cornmeal. Add the remaining butter and continue pulsing until no pieces are larger than peas. Add 2 tablespoons of the ice water and pulse until combined. Add just enough of the remaining 1 to 2 tablespoons ice water, a little at a time, and pulse until the dough just comes together and holds its shape when squeezed. Turn the dough out onto a large sheet of plastic wrap, gather into a disc and wrap well. Refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour or up to overnight.
- Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface to an 11-inch circle and fit it into a 9-inch pie plate. Crimp the edges and refrigerate the dough until chilled, about 20 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Prick the bottom and sides of the crust several times with the tines of a fork. Fit a piece of aluminum foil over the crust and fill the foil with pie weights or dry beans. Bake until the edges of the crust are golden, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove the foil and weights, return the crust to the oven and continue to bake until the bottom of the crust is lightly golden and no longer shiny, 10 to 15 minutes longer. Cool completely.
- For the filling: While the crust cools, use a fork to prick the yams all over. Place them on a rimmed baking sheet and roast with the oven still at 350 degrees F until very soft, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Set aside until cool enough to handle. Peel and mash until very smooth; you should have about 2 cups. Transfer the mash to a medium bowl and add the cream, brown sugar, vanilla, allspice, ginger, salt and eggs. Whisk just until smooth. Gently tap the bottom of the bowl a few times to release any air bubbles.
- Pour the filling into the cooled crust and bake until the center of the pie is set and no longer shiny, 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes; if the edges of the crust brown too quickly, cover them loosely with foil. Transfer the pie to a wire rack to cool.
- For the topping: Heat the butter in a medium skillet over medium heat until melted. Stir in the brown sugar, vanilla and salt, stirring until the mixture starts to bubble. Stir in the pecans and cook until the nuts are toasted and have absorbed most of the buttery sugar mixture, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and gently stir in the coconut. Spoon over the pie and press gently to adhere to the filling. Let stand at least 20 minutes to cool. Serve the pie with whipped cream if desired.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 10 servings |
| Calories | 475 |
| Total Fat | 30 g |
| Saturated Fat | 15 g |
| Carbohydrates | 48 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 4 g |
| Sugar | 23 g |
| Protein | 6 g |
| Cholesterol | 99 mg |
| Sodium | 241 mg |
Reviews
Success! Easy step by step directions. Spouse is a sweet potato pie junkie, he rated this 5 stars! And I’m not a baker.
I made this pie for Thanksgiving; It was a hit, my family was hiding pieces in the refrigerator for the next day. They were going for seconds.
This pie was very good. I’m not a pie fan, but my southern husband loves sweet potato pies and I tried another one previously using another recipe, but this recipe with the topping intrigued me. It came out perfect, except I used a graham cracker crust, which gave it a little bit of crunch. My neighbor whose never had a sweet potato pie, came back over for seconds. The topping is awesome for both of us, but my husband who is the aficionado said it was fine with or without it.
I thought this recipe was great!
I did make a few changes to the filling and topping. I also used a different crust recipe. (My boyfriend made the crust based on a recipe his mother gave him.) I added nutmeg and cinnamon to the spices, and I also added a dash of nutmeg to the candied pecans and coconut topping.
This is a pie that you should make a day ahead if you can as the flavors need to mellow and blend.
Excellet… First time I ever made this or any pie! I skipped the coconut I don’t like coconut