Cinnamon Sweet Potato Pie with Maple Pecan Brittle

Fragrant with the warm fall spices of cinnamon and nutmeg, this earthy sweet potato pie with pecan brittle is perfect for the holiday season – it’s even better since most of the recipe can be made in advance, saving precious time around the busy holidays. Use a good quality pre-made pie crust and keep it in the fridge until you’re ready to par-bake the crust. The sweet potatoes can be roasted in advance and then chilled until ready to bake the pie. And even the brittle can be made a few days ahead and kept in an airtight container.

Maple Pecan Brittle

Non-stick cooking spray

2 cups sugar

¼ cup maple syrup

¼ cup light corn syrup

6 tablespoons butter, cubed

½ teaspoon baking soda

1 ½ cups toasted pecans, roughly chopped

Flaky sea salt

Cinnamon Sweet Potato Pie

450g sweet potatoes

Olive oil

1 tablespoon sea salt

1 pie crust, either packaged or homemade

½ cup salted butter, softened to room temperature

½ cup packed brown sugar

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon cinnamon

½ teaspoon nutmeg

2 large eggs

½ cup heavy cream

Whipped cream or vanilla ice cream

For the brittle:

Line a rimmed sheet pan with parchment paper and spray with cooking spray. In a medium saucepan, stir together the sugar, maple syrup and corn syrup with 1/2 cup water. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat and continue to cook until the mixture is golden brown and a candy thermometer reaches 340 degrees, about 15 minutes.

Working quickly, take the pan off the heat and stir in the butter and baking soda until well combined (caution, the mixture may bubble up), and then stir in the pecans until evenly distributed. Pour the mixture onto the prepared sheet pan and smooth out with a spatula. Sprinkle all over with sea salt. Cool for at least 30 minutes before breaking into pieces and store in an airtight container until ready to serve.

For the pie:

Preheat oven to 220°C. Pierce the sweet potatoes with a fork. Drizzle with olive oil and salt the outside skins with the sea salt. Place on a rimmed sheet pan and roast in the preheated oven until tender, about 40-45 minutes. Allow sweet potatoes to cool, then scoop out the flesh and set aside. Discard the skins.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pie crust to a 30cm circle. Gently place the pie crust in the pie dish. Neatly tuck the overhang under the rim of a dish to form the crust. Crimp the crust along the grooves of the pie dish and prick the crust all over inside the dish with a fork.

Reduce oven temperature to 190°C. Place a piece of parchment paper inside the pie dish (on top of the crust) and add pie weights to hold the crust in place. Place pie dish in the oven and par-bake the crust for 10 minutes, until lightly browned and crust is set. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.

Meanwhile, in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter with the sugar until lightened in colour and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the sweet potatoes and stir to combine. Add the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, eggs and heavy cream, and mix until well combined. Pour the filling into the par-baked pie crust. Place the pie dish back in the oven and bake until the centre is almost set about 45-50 minutes. Transfer the pie dish to a wire rack and allow to cool completely before cutting.

Serve slices of the pie topped with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream and garnished with the brittle.