The holidays are not complete with a sweet potato pie. This recipe come jam packed with flavor to bring a smile to anyone’s face during the holiday season. By adding bourbon and additional spices to this well loved dessert this will quickly become a household favorite.Â
Yes it is that time of year for sweet potato pie. Honestly I could make this all year long. However once the holidays roll around it is even more special. This dessert has always been a pleasure to make and a hit with all of my friends.Â
In this recipe
For this recipe the sweet potatoes are boiled instead of roasted. This is mainly because I cannot be patient enough to wait until they are done roasting to finish the pie. Boiling will take about 20-25 minutes and roasting takes about an hour.Â
When boiling potatoes it is important to make sure that the water is cold. You do not want to use hot water with the potatoes before you put them on the stove. The reason for this is due to how dense potatoes are. If you use hot water before putting them on the stove or if you drop them into boiling water the outsides will be done cooking before the insides are done.Â
This will result in unevenly cooked sweet potatoes. This is why it is important to heat them up with the cold water. The potatoes will cook more evenly and quickly as well.Â
The short crust pastry for this recipe is different than normal. This is due to the addition of cinnamon. By pairing the spiced crust with the sweet potato filling this pie will stand out amongst the crowd. It is also important to make sure that the butter and water are very cold. By doing so it ensures that the crust develops the expected flake.Â
The following recipe is made for a 9 inch deep dish pie pan or a 9.5 inch pie pan. If you are using a standard 9 inch pie pan cut the pie filling ingredients in half or double the pie crust so you can make 2. One for you and the other for everyone else!
Bourbon and Vanilla Sweet Potato Pie
Equipment
- Food processor
- Large pot
- Rolling Pin
- Stand mixer with paddle attachment
- Cling film
- 9" deep dish or 9.5" pie pan
Ingredients
Cinnamon Pie Crust
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1½ cups unsalted butter cold
- 8 tbsp water ice cold
Sweet Potato Filling
- 4 lbs sweet potatoes peeled
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 4 eggs
- 1 tsp ginger
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp nutmeg
- 2 tbsp bourbon
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 2 cups brown sugar packed
- ½ cup granulated sugar
Instructions
Making the crust
- In a food processor combine the flour, sugar, salt, and cinnamon. Pulse to mix.
- Add the butter and blend until the butter and flour make a loose sandy-like consistency. In a large bowl with a rubber spatula add the dough mixture and 4 tablespoons of water. Use the spatula to incorporate. Keep adding a tablespoon of water at a time until the dough just barely holds together.
- form into the shape of a disk and wrap in cling film. Refrigerate for an hour.
Making the sweet potato filling
- Skin and cut the potatoes into 4 large pieces. Then with the cut side down slice each part into 4 wedges. Place these in a large pot and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil and reduce to medium and cook for 15 minutes or until the a knife pierces the potatoes easily.
- Drain and add to a food processor. Puree until the potatoes are smooth.
- In a stand mixer with paddle attachment add 4½ cups of the sweet potato puree.
- On medium high speed add the sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, bourbon, ginger and vanilla. Beat until smooth.
- Add the eggs and then the cream.
Pie assembly and baking
- Preheat the oven to 325°F or gas mark 3.
- Roll out the cinnamon pie dough to line the pie pan. Make sure that the dough has not been stretched when placing it in the pan. Cut the excess dough off and create your edge design.
- Pour in the sweet potato filling. There may be extra filling. Do not overfill the pie pan.
- Bake for 90 minutes or until the center of the pie has set. Check this by giving the side of the pan a tap. If there is a slight wobble then the pie is ready.
- Allow to cool in the oven with the door cracked for an hour, then allow to come to room temperature on the counter before placing in the refrigerator. Allow to cool for at least 3 hours.
