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6 Nov 2011

Sweet Potato Pie with Pecan Crust

by | posted in: Dessert | 36

You may not be able to tell from all my pumpkin recipes, but I’m actually not a huge lover of pumpkin. It can be good depending on how it’s used, but sweet potatoes have my heart. Sweet potato pie is what we have every year at Thanksgiving, and it’s one of the things I most look forward to during this time of year. I’m pretty sure the whole pumpkin pie vs. sweet potato pie thing is one of those divisive American issues–most families I know have strong preferences for one or the other and don’t mess around in between! I’m thrilled to be able to share a new and healthy twist on my favorite sweet potato pie for you this Soul Food Sunday.

Lately I’ve been making a lot of desserts using flour and butter, which makes for very delicious desserts but of course is not the healthiest option (especially when I use white flour). With this pie I really wanted a dessert that was delicious but that wouldn’t be too rich for us to enjoy as an everyday treat. I’ve been wanting to try a nut crust for a long time and figured sweet potato pie would be the perfect oppurtunity.

And boy, it WAS the perfect opportunity. The flavor and texture of the nuts goes so well with the smooth, creamy sweet potato filling. There’s NO butter or white flour in this recipe, and I think it also happens to be gluten-free!

 

Sweet Potato Pie with Pecan Crust

by Lauren

Prep Time: 1 hour

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Keywords: bake dessert low-carb sweet potato pie Southern fall

 

Ingredients (serves 8)

For the crust:

  • 2 c. raw pecan halves
  • 2 T. melted coconut oil
  • 2 T. agave nectar
  • 1/4 t. cinnamon
  • 1/4 t. salt

For the filling:

  • 2 large sweet potatoes (enough for 2 1/2-3 c. of flesh)
  • 3 eggs, at room temperature
  • 1 c. evaporated skim milk
  • 1 c. brown sugar (not packed)
  • 1 t. cinnamon
  • 1/4 t. nutmeg
  • 1/4 t. salt
  • dash of allspice
  • dash of ginger

Instructions

Peel the sweet potatoes and cut them into chunks. Boil the chunks in a large pot of water for 30 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender.

Drain the potatoes and mash them well with a potato masher. Cover with saran wrap and set aside.

In a blender or food processor, chop up the nuts just until the largest pieces are pea-sized.

Stir the remaining crust ingredients into the ground nuts until well combined.

Press the nuts into the bottom and sides of either a 9-inch pie pan or a 8-inch springform pan (the springform pan won’t need to use all the crust mixture).

Place the crusted pan in the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes.

Bake the crust in a 350 degree oven for 10 minutes to toast the nuts.

While the crust is baking, blend the mashed sweet potatoes with an electric mixer until very smooth.

Add the remaining filling ingredients and continue to blend until the mixture is very smooth and creamy.

When the crust is done, remove it from the oven and then raise the oven temperature to 400 degrees.

Pour the filling into the crust and return it to the oven to bake for about 45 minutes, or until the top of the pie is lightly browned and the pie does not jiggle around when you move it.

Remove the pie from the oven and let it cool on a rack.

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This pie reminds me of a combination between sweet potato and pecan pie–so delicious! Just enough nuts to hold the pie together.

If you’re looking for a twist on the traditional pumpkin or sweet potato pie this Thanksgiving season, I highly recommend this! It’s a great alternative for gluten-free guests! Or, if you’re like me and just really love nuts, then that’s enough of a reason in my book.

I love making desserts on the weekend that we can eat all week long! With school I definitely don’t have time during the week to bake up dessert every night, so it’s really nice to already have something prepared. Although I doubt this pie is going to last all week.

I know that lots of you are out there somewhere reading my posts, which I love and am so grateful for! But I don’t get to hear from you all very often! Please leave a comment and say hello! No matter who you are, I would love to say hi and get to know you. 🙂 I’m going to start doing reader questions at the end of my posts to get some conversation started, and here’s the first one…

What side of the fence are you and your family on? Sweet potato pie or pumpkin pie?

Thanks for reading!

-Lauren

 

 

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