Sweet Potato Pie

I have been wanting to attempt my first toaster-oven pie for quite some time; however, I've been a little hesitant since the only "pie" pan I have is a 9-inch cake pan, which happens to have a slight outward angle on the sides. (Plus, pies have never really been my baking forte!)

Fortunately, this sweet potato recipe proved to be fool-proof. Although it has been a few years since I last made a sweet potato pie, this recipe seemed to have a much thicker filling than the recipes I've used in the past. I am also a little disappointed in the amount of spices in the recipe; as I was adding them, I thought it seemed rather meager, and I really wish I had doubled them (though I should note that I prefer pumpkin pies and always seem to spice my sweet potato pies so that they have the spicy kick that I associated with pumpkin pie.) Although the final texture is a little denser and less creamy than my past sweet potato pies, I'm still fairly happy with the results.

Pie Crust (9 inch.)

1¼ c. flour
½ t. salt
1 T. sugar
6 T. chilled butter
¼ c. shortening (4 T.)
3-4 T. cold water

Combine flour, sugar, and salt. Cut the butter into the mixture. Add the shortening and combine until the consistency of cornmeal and peas. Add 3 T. water and mix. Add more water until dough holds together. Form the dough into a slightly flattened circle, light flour, and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate for at least one hour or up to 2 days.)


Sweet Potato Pie
(9 inch pie)

1 lb. Sweet Potatoes (2 cups)
½ c butter, softened
½ c. sugar
½ c. brown sugar
½ c. milk*
2 eggs
½ t. nutmeg
½ t. cinnamon
1 t. vanilla extract
1 (9 in.) unbaked pie crust

Boil sweet potatoes in skins for 40-50 minutes or until done. Remove the skins and mash the potatoes. Add butter, sugars, milk, eggs, spices, and vanilla. Beat until smooth. Pour filling into the pie crust. Bake at 350°F (175°C) for 55-60 minutes, or until a knife comes out clean.

*The original recipe called for ½ cup evaporated milk, which I could not find on my island. After reading online, it seemed that milk would be an adequate substitute (and it didn't seem to cause any problem with my finished pie.)