Sweet potato casserole is a Southern Thanksgiving staple. My Memaw always made it– her version involved candied slices of sweet potato, topped with toasted pecans and marshmallows. I never liked it, because it was like a hunk of dessert on my otherwise savory plate of Thanksgiving goodness. And honestly toward the end she mostly burned the marshmallows, bless her heart. So I got to thinking: why not flip sweet potato casserole all the way into dessert? What about a sweet potato pie that contained all the elements of sweet potato casserole? I decided to work the pecans into a graham cracker crust, though in the future I might experiment with a crust that’s more like a pecan sandy cookie. And the marshmallows obviously needed to become the topping for the pie. I went with a marshmallow meringue because you can torch it to get that toasty marshmallow element, but for those of you daunted by meringue or lacking a torch or wanting a topping you can fully make ahead, I have also included the option of a marshmallow whip. My final suggestion? Enjoy it with a glass of nice whiskey.
Crust
1 c (4 oz) pecan halves or pieces
11 whole graham crackers, broken
4 t minced fresh ginger
2 T dark brown sugar
½ t kosher salt
½ t ground cinnamon
6 T unsalted butter, melted
Filling
3 lbs sweet potatoes
½ c heavy cream
½ c packed light brown sugar
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 T unsalted butter, melted
1 T pure vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
½ t salt
½ t cinnamon
½ t ground allspice
¼ t freshly grated nutmeg
Marshmallow Meringue
1 7-ounce jar Kraft Jet-Puffed Marshmallow Creme
3 large egg whites
⅛ t salt
¼ t cream of tartar
¼ c sugar
Alternative Marshmallow Whip Topping
1 c heavy cream
1 7 oz jar marshmallow fluff
½ t salt
- Do ahead: Roast sweet potatoes until soft, for about an hour at 375 F. I did this the day before so my potatoes had time to cool and it made it super easy to halve them, peel off the skins, and make my filling.
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F
- Make crust. In a food processor, combine the pecans, graham crackers, ginger, brown sugar, salt and cinnamon; pulse until crumbs form. Add the butter and process until incorporated. Press the crumbs evenly into a 9- or 10-inch pie plate. Bake the crust for about 25 minutes, until lightly browned and fragrant. Let cool completely. Wipe out the processor.
- Make the filling: combine all ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth.
- Pour filling into prepared crust, smooth top, and bake at 325 for 45-50 minutes
- Allow pie to cool
- Make meringue. Using a rubber spatula, scrape marshmallow creme into a large bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat egg whites and salt in another large bowl until foamy. Add sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, and beat until stiff and glossy peaks form. Add ½ cup beaten egg whites to marshmallow creme and stir with rubber spatula or spoon just until incorporated to lighten (marshmallow creme is very sticky and will be difficult to blend at first, but blending will become easier as remaining whites are folded in). Fold in remaining whites in two additions just until incorporated. Spread meringue over top of cold pie, mounding slightly in center and swirling with knife to create peaks. Torch meringue or brown in a 400 degree oven for about 4 minutes.
- Alternatively: make marshmallow whip. Using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat 1 cup heavy cream in a medium bowl until stiff peaks form, about 3 minutes. Reduce speed to low and add one 7.5-oz. jar marshmallow creme and ½ tsp salt; beat until combined.
Pie can be made ahead, wrapped and refrigerated. Meringue is best made and applied to pie within 2 hours of serving, but if you can cram a cake dome in your fridge with all your other Thanksgiving stuff, you can make the whole pie ahead, cover with a cake dome, and refrigerate. Let pie stand at room temp for 30 minutes before serving. Whip can be made ahead and stored in refrigerator until time to serve–I would keep it separate until serving time, personally, just in case you decide the whip needs to be re-whipped a bit.