Bourbon Sweet Potato Pecan Pie

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American, Soul Food

Prep Time: 20

Cook Time: 1

Passive Time: 45

Total Time: 2 5

Servings: servings

Calories: 839kcal

Author: Jazzmine Woodard

Two southern Thanksgiving classics collide in a perfectly sweet and easy-to-make pie that has something for everyone at your table.

Print Recipe

Equipment

Ingredients

Sweet Potato Pie Layer

1 ½ pounds sweet potatoes (should yield about 3 cups of sweet potato puree)
2 tablespoons heavy cream
3 tablespoons butter melted
1 egg beaten
½ cup brown sugar packed
½ cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons bourbon whiskey
½ teaspoon Nutmeg
½ teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon sea salt

Pecan Pie Layer

1 ½ cups pecan halves
1 cup Karo Light Corn Syrup
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tablespoon butter melted
1 teaspoon vanilla
¼ teaspoon cinnamon

Crust

¾ cup butter cold and cut into cubes
1 ½ cup flour
¼ teaspoon sea salt
1 tablespoon cold water

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Using a fork or knife, pierce sweet potatoes several times then place in oven to roast for about 45 minutes or until tender.
While sweet potatoes roast, make pie crust. Start the crust by incorporating sea salt, flour, and butter until a coarse meal forms. This can be done in a bowl by hand by hand or in a food processor. Add cold water and continue working or pulsing mixture until a dough forms. Shape dough into a disc (like a hockey puck), wrap in plastic, and chill for at least 30 minutes.
Once sweet potatoes are roasted, carefully remove from oven and place in fridge to cool to room temperature. Reduce oven heat to 375 degrees.
Remove pie crust dough from fridge and roll out into about ¼-inch thickness. Place dough into a 9-inch pie pan and fold or crimp edges, as desired. Place a sheet of parchment paper over crust then cover with pie weights or dry goods. Transfer pan into oven to par bake for about 10 minutes then remove and reduce oven heat to 350 degrees.
While crust par bakes, make sweet potato filling. Remove skin from roasted sweet potatoes and combine with heavy cream, butter, egg, brown sugar, granulated sugar, whiskey, nutmeg, cinnamon, and sea salt. This step can be done with a mixer, by hand, or in a food processor. I recommend using a food processor for the smoothest filling. The result should be thick, custard-like, and free of lumps. If filling is too thin, place in the fridge to stiffen up a bit before assembling pie.
In another bowl, mix together the corn syrup, brown sugar, eggs, butter, vanilla, and cinnamon until smooth and uniform. Stir in pecans.
To assemble pie, spread sweet potato filling into prepared crust. There should be about one inch of space between the top of the sweet potato filling and the edges of the pie crust. Next, gently pour pecan pie filling over top. This layer should be almost flush with the top of the pie pan.
Transfer pie to oven and bake pie for about one hour or until filling is set, placing a sheet pan on the rack below the pie to catch any drips. The top of pie will puff up as it bakes but will settle as it cools. Cool pie completely before cutting.

Notes

Substitutions

Make sweet potato puree in advance to save time with this recipe!

You can used halved or chopped pecans in this pie. Pecan cookies pieces, however, are too small to not burn during the required bake time.

This sweet potato and pecan pie hybrid uses my all-butter pie crust but you can make the process simpler by using a pre-made crust.

Troubleshooting

To prevent the pie crust from shrinking during the par bake, I recommend using pie weights. A simple substitution is to place a sheet of parchment paper over the dough then pour in dry beans, lentils, or other grains that won't burn in the oven.

The key to distinct sweet potato and pecan layers in this pie is a thick sweet potato filling. If the sweet potato filling is too thin, either the two layers will mix together or the pecan pie filling will sink to the bottom of the pie. The flavor is still delicious either way but the pie will not look as pictured. You can thicken sweet potato filling that is slightly too thin by chilling it or mixing in more roasted sweet potato.

Storage

Can I make this pie ahead of time? Yes, you can make it up to four days before your dinner. Just wrap it tightly with aluminum foil and refrigerate.

How to freeze sweet potato pecan pie? First cool the pie completely, then wrap snugly with plastic wrap and again with aluminum foil. It will keep in the freezer for up to three months. Thaw it overnight in the fridge then allow it to come to room temperature before serving.

Nutrition