sweet potato pie

This past weekend saw a dry run of my upcoming Thanksgiving feast — a fancified version of turkey breast, a few of my favorite vegetable sides, and my first-ever sweet potato pie.

The sweet potato pie may have been my first, but it certainly won't be my last. It's the perfect balance of textures and flavors: more soufflélike than custardy in texture, with a crispy graham cracker and butter crust to keep each bite interesting. But in my opinion, it's the candied nut cream topping, with its caramelized crunch and cool whipped consistency, that makes me absolutely crazy for it. Like, stand-over-the-counter, just-one-more-piece-and-I'm-done crazy for it. Want to be crazy for it, too? Then keep reading for the recipe.

Finish your almost meatless Thanksgiving with a decadent sweet potato pie. This pie is a dessert traditional to the South, but with its smooth creamy filling and rich sweet flavor, sweet potato pie is welcome on Thanksgiving tables all across America. The dough calls for shortening, however, if you prefer to bake with butter, use that instead. Although the ingredient list includes a whiskey-spiked whipped cream, you can omit the alcohol and employ vanilla extract. To get the recipe which should be made in advance, read more