Recipe Review Update: Sweet Potato Pie

In October I made my first sweet potato pie and it came out fantastic (link at the bottom). So my roommate came to me with a request for Thanksgiving- could I make three pies? Sure! I think.

I used the same filling recipe as before from The Magnolia Bakery Cookbook, but this time I also used their crust:

Recipe for Magnolia's Sweet Potato Pie Crust:
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 stick cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
2-4 tablespoons ice water

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.
In a large bowl, place the flour, the sugar and the salt, and using a pastry blender (I cut in the butter with two knives- not an easy task, especially when repeated three times in a row), cut in the butter until pieces are pea-size. Sprinkle the ice water by tablespoons over the flour mix, tossing with a fork till all the dough is moistened. Form dough into a ball. On a lightly floured surface roll out the dough to fit a 9-inch glass pie plate (I roll mine out to 10-12 inches). Fold the edges under all around the rim and crimp.
Cover the shell with foil (I also coat the foil with a small amount of butter) and line the foil with pie weights (I used two or three measuring cups filled with raw rice, which can be reused). Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and carefully take out the weights and the foil. Cool on wire rack. Turn oven down to 350 degrees.


There were two issues: I only have two pie plates, and I only have enough fresh sweet potatoes for two pies. The pie for me & my roommate is going to be the experimental one, I used a cake pan and two cans of sweet potatoes instead of fresh ones (which the recipe actually says you can do- just be sure to drain them!). I also used 1 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon for all the pies.

The verdict:
There doesn't seem to be any difference between the two pie crusts I used, Magnolia's might just be a wee bit harder to roll out thin.
However, canned sweet potatoes do not work well in this recipe. Or at least, not as well. You notice in a difference in color before and after baking. Even the texture is off, its a touch more moist. The taste is slightly sweeter, but its missing that goodness that reaches inside of you to stroke your soul- I don't know how else to explain it.

Related post: Recipe Review: Sweet Potato Pie