An old-fashioned, deep south sweet potato pie that's creamy, delicious and full of flavor. Using brown butter and a hint of citrus to kick it up a notch without losing that old school flavor
2lb.sweet potatoes washed & driedequals about 2 cups pureed
1/2cuplight brown sugarpacked
1/2cupgranulated sugar
1/2cupevaporated milk
2eggsroom temperature
1teaspoonvanilla extract
1/2teaspooncinnamon
1/2teaspoonnutmeg
1/4teaspoonginger
tiny pinch cloveoptional
2tablespoonsorange or pineapple juiceI use a mixture of both
1 1/2tablespoonsall-purpose flour
Instructions
Preheat oven to 425 F.
Pierce sweet potatoes with a fork several times.
Place on foil-lined baking sheet.
Bake for 45 minutes or until very tender.
Let cool while preparing the brown butter.
To make the brown butter, add butter to a heavy-bottom skillet over medium heat.
Once butter has melted it will begin to foam a bit, whisk continuously while scraping the bottom of the pan.
The butter will begin to turn golden and form golden brown bits on the bottom of the pan, keep whisking.
Once the aromas become nutty (almost like the smell of caramel) and the solids in the bottom of the pan are golden brown remove from heat. (see note)
Pour into a glass dish (including the brown solids) and set aside to let cool.
In a large bowl, scoop out the flesh of the cooled sweet potatoes.
Mix until creamy and smooth, adding a few splashes of water(or milk) until you have the texture of a very thick puree. (don't get it too watery, just use enough water to make mixing easier)
Mix in the cooled brown butter until smooth.
Mix in the brown sugar, white sugar, evaporated milk, eggs (see note before adding), vanilla extract, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, clove (if using), juice, and flour until well combined.
Pour into pie crust shell and smooth the top.
Preheated oven 350 F. and bake for 55 minutes.
Remove from oven and let cool completely until the middle is firmly set.
Refrigerate until ready to serve. (You can absolutely serve it warm, but I like for it to sit in the fridge for a few hours for a denser, creamier texture.)
Serve with sweetened whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.
Video
Notes
Brown Butter: Brown butter can burn FAST so keep your heat on medium if it's your first time making brown butter. I like to taste the butter and if it has a slightly nutty, unsweetened caramel flavor it's done! If butter burns or taste like smoke, toss it and try again. Adding the eggs: It's important that you taste your mixture once you've added all the ingredients so that you can adjust the spices to your liking. If you are nervous about tasting the filling with the raw egg in it then add all the other ingredients except the eggs, taste and adjust your spices and then add the eggs once you are content with the flavor.