Description
Creamy sweet potato pie bars blend Southern comfort with irresistible dessert magic. Nutty graham cracker crust and silky spiced filling promise a delightful escape into seasonal indulgence you’ll savor with pure happiness.
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 cups mashed sweet potatoes
- 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup (1 ½ sticks/340 g) unsalted butter, cold and cubed
- 2 large eggs
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- ¼ cup light brown sugar, packed
- ½ cup evaporated milk (or heavy cream)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- ¼ tsp ground ginger (optional)
- ½ tsp salt
- Pinch of salt
- Whipped cream (optional)
- Marshmallow fluff (optional)
- Crushed pecans (optional)
- Cinnamon sugar (optional)
Instructions
- Crust Preparation: Pulse flour, powdered sugar, and salt in a food processor. Add cold butter and blend until crumbly. Press mixture evenly into parchment-lined 9×13-inch baking pan.
- Initial Baking: Roast crust in preheated 350F (175C) oven for 15 minutes until pale golden. Remove and let rest momentarily.
- Filling Creation: Whisk mashed sweet potatoes with granulated sugar, brown sugar, eggs, evaporated milk, vanilla extract, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and salt until silky and uniform.
- Assembly and Baking: Spread sweet potato mixture smoothly over pre-baked crust. Return to oven and bake 35-40 minutes until filling sets completely and toothpick emerges clean.
- Cooling and Setting: Allow bars to cool entirely at room temperature, then refrigerate for minimum two hours to firm texture.
- Serving Presentation: Extract entire dessert using parchment paper edges. Slice into precise squares. Optionally garnish with whipped cream, marshmallow fluff, or crushed pecans for enhanced visual appeal and flavor complexity.
Notes
- Optimize Butter Temperature: Keep butter extremely cold when preparing the crust to achieve a flakier, more crumbly texture that ensures perfect layering and prevents greasy results.
- Prevent Filling Cracking: Avoid overbaking by removing the pie bars when the center still appears slightly jiggly, as it will continue setting during cooling, maintaining a smooth and creamy consistency.
- Sweet Potato Selection Matters: Use fresh, orange-fleshed sweet potatoes with high moisture content for richest flavor and smoothest filling, preferably roasting and mashing them yourself instead of using canned puree.
- Dietary Adaptation Strategies: Swap traditional ingredients for gluten-free flour blend, replace butter with coconut oil, and use dairy-free milk alternatives to create inclusive versions suitable for various dietary needs without compromising taste quality.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Desserts, Snacks
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 13
- Calories: 287
- Sugar: 21 g
- Sodium: 170 mg
- Fat: 13 g
- Saturated Fat: 8 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 5 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 39 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 3 g
- Cholesterol: 58 mg