Sweet Potato Pie with Gingersnap Crust
Classic sweet potato pie is upgraded with the addition of vanilla bean paste and baked into a zippy gingersnap cookie crust.
Servings: 6 people
Ingredients
For Cookie Crust
- 2 cups gingersnap cookies 1½ cups when crushed
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 5 tablespoons butter melted
For Pie Filling
- ⅓ cup butter room temperature
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 eggs room temperature
- ¾ cup evaporated milk
- 2 cups mashed sweet potato roughly 2 large sweet potatoes
- 1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
Make the Crust
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- Add the cookies and sugar to the bowl of a food processor and pulse until pulverized. You'll need about 1½ cups of gingersnap crumbs. Transfer to a bowl.
- Add the melted butter and toss until the mixture resembles wet sand.
- Dump the crumbs into a 9-inch pie dish and, using the bottom of a measuring cup, flatten the bottom and bring the crumbs up around the edges to create a crust.
- Bake for 7-8 minutes or until fragrant. Set aside to cool while you make the pie filling.
Make the Pie Filling
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together the butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar until creamed.
- Add the eggs, one at a time, until they're fully incorporated. Stop the mixture and use a spatula to scrape any of the butter that's stuck to the bowl. Continue to beat until incorporated.
- Add the evaporated milk, mashed sweet potatoes, vanilla bean paste, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Mix until everything is well-incorporated. {The mixture may look slightly curdled, but that's ok.}
- Pour the mixture into the cooled crust and use a spatula to even out the top.
- Place into the oven and lightly tent with a sheet of foil. Bake for about 30 minutes, then remove the foil, and bake for another 20 minutes. When done, the center will be mostly set {with a slight jiggle} and the mixture will have slightly puffed up.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool for 20-30 minutes before cutting and serving, or cool completely then cover and chill in the refrigerator for several hours or overnight. Serve with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Notes
- For the smoothest filling, make sure the sweet potato mash is completely smooth and not overly wet before mixing it into the custard.
- The pie is done when the edges are set but the center still has a slight jiggle. It will continue to firm up as it cools.
- If the gingersnap crust starts browning too quickly, loosely cover the edges with foil or use a pie shield.
- This pie is ideal for making ahead. Bake it 1–2 days in advance, cool completely, then cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
- For clean slices, chill the pie thoroughly before cutting.
- Vanilla extract can be substituted for vanilla bean paste if needed.