Sweet potato "easy as pie" family recipe

Ready or not, the holidays are here! I observed the fall leaves changing colors and opted for pumpkin flavored everything, yet the holidays still crept up on me. Now that Halloween is in the books, I’m ready to welcome this magical season with open arms.  

First up, hello Thanksgiving. My family does not mess around on this day of gratitude and gluttony. We typically have 30+ people, but we like to prep and cook for double. Is it the fear of running out of food (gasp!)? Or, are our eyes bigger than our stomachs? All I know is that we will never learn. It’s one of my family’s quirks that I’ve grown to love. I digress.

This year, Thanksgiving will be quite different for my little fam-bam. Since we moved out of state, we’ll be having an intimate affair where we can all sit around ONE regular table. Like woah. I’m still working on my Thanksgiving menu, but one thing is for sure: my aunt’s famous sweet potato pie. Family recipes are the best, and her “secret” ingredients are the additions of ground ginger and cloves, packing in even more flavor. I’m making her easy sweet potato pie recipe, but tweaking one thing: putting the sweet potato pie filling in ramekins, without the crust. I’m doing this to reserve my carb overload for the main event, but this is also a great option for gluten-free folks! These “cups” of sweet potato pie are dense yet moist and scream Thanksgiving. If you’re a hardcore crust lover, rest assured this filling is amazing in traditional pie form too, like my aunt makes it.* Either way, these sweet potato cups are as easy as... pie!

Easy gluten-free sweet potato pie cups

Servings: 8 ramekins

Filling Ingredients:

• 2 cups sweet potatoes
• 1/3 cup melted butter
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 3/4 cup evaporated milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp ginger
• 1/4 tsp clove
• 1/4 tsp salt

Sweetened Whipped Cream Ingredients:

• 1 cup cold heavy cream
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract 

1. Cook and mash sweet potatoes (easy=microwave).
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 
3. In a mixing bowl, beat together butter and brown sugar. Stir in eggs and mix well. Add all remaining filling ingredients and mix well. Optional: use an electric mixer or food processor for a smoother consistency.
4. Pour filling evenly into 8 ramekins
5. Bake at 350 degrees until knife inserted in center comes out clean, about 30-35 min. They will puff up, and then sink down as it cools.
6. When ready to serve, use an electric mixer to beat cream until thickened. Add sugar and vanilla and continue to beat until peaks form.

Serve sweet potato pie cups with dollops of fluffy whipped cream.

Now, before you head to the store, let’s address the sweet potato vs yam debate. Most likely, anything you’ll find in your local supermarket that’s labeled sweet potato or yam is actually a sweet potato. Real yams come from Africa and South America but aren’t commonly found in American markets.

Hope you love my aunt’s recipes as much as I do!

*For traditional sweet potato pie with crust, use a 9-in pie pan/crust and bake for 425 degrees for 15 minutes, then turn oven heat down to 250 degrees and bake until knife inserted in center comes out clean, about an additional 35-40 min.