Is this pumpkin sweet potato pie with majestic marshmallow topping a dessert? Is it a side dish? Does it even matter?!
Looking for something different for Thanksgiving? This creamy pumpkin and sweet potato pie, served warm with melty, toasted marshmallows on top, is absolutely irresistible. The fabulous crust is made from crumbled fig bar cookies, butter, and flour. One forkful and you are in for at least a whole piece.–Editors of Better Homes and Gardens
LC Where It Belongs Note
This riff on your fave marshmallow-topped side from childhood plonks the sweet dish squarely where it belongs—dessert. (As an aside, if you’ve decided you’re too mature for such seeming child’s play as marshmallows, you can eschew them and instead opt for a dollop of whipped cream. We, however, are partial to the marshmallow version of this pie.)
☞ Contents
Pumpkin Sweet Potato Pie
Ingredients
For the cookie crust
- 8 6 oz fig bar cookies
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
For the pumpkin sweet potato pie filling
- One package cream cheese at room temperature
- 3 large eggs
- 3/4 cup mashed, cooked sweet potatoes (about 1 medium sweet potato)
- 3/4 cup fresh pumpkin purée (see recipe below) or canned pumpkin purée
- 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/3 cup heavy cream
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon molasses (do NOT use blackstrap molasses)
- 2 teaspoons grated ginger
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg or 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/8 teaspoon ancho or chipotle chile powder
- 1/2 cup miniature marshmallows (be sure to buy vegan marshmallows if you need this recipe to be vegetarian)
Directions
Prepare the oven
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (176°C).
Make the cookie crust
- Place the cookies and the flour in a bowl and, using your fingers, crumble the cookies and combine them with the flour. Pour the melted butter over the crumbled cookie mixture and stir to combine. Press the mixture onto the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch pie plate. Bake until set, about 10 minutes. Let the pie crust cool on a wire rack. Leave the oven on.
Make the pumpkin sweet potato pie filling
- In a large bowl with an electric mixer or stand mixer on medium speed, beat the cream cheese for 30 seconds. Add the eggs, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, brown sugar, cream, granulated sugar, molasses, ginger, vanilla, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg, and chile powder. Beat until well combined. Scrape the filling onto the cookie crust. Bake the pie for 40 to 45 minutes, or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Remove the pie from the oven. (If making the pie ahead of time, let the pie cool completely and set it aside at room temperature for up to several hours or loosely cover and refrigerate for up to 24 hours.)
Bake the pie
- Sprinkle the marshmallows evenly over the pie. Adjust the oven rack to 4 to 5 inches from the broiler element and turn the oven to broil. Slide the pie under the broiler and heat for 1 minute, or just until the marshmallows puff and begin to brown.
- Place the pie on a wire rack and let cool for about an hour. Slice and serve while still warm.
Notes
How To Make This Pie With Fresh Pumpkin
To swap fresh pumpkin for canned pumpkin, cut a 2 1/2-pound pie pumpkin into 5-by-5-inch pieces, leaving the rind on. Remove and discard the seeds and strings from the pumpkin pieces. Place the pumpkin on a rimmed baking sheet or roasting pan lined with parchment paper, rind side up, in a single layer. Cover with foil and bake at 375°F until tender, about 1 hour. Let it sit on the counter until the pumpkin is cool enough to handle. Grab a spoon and scoop the pulp from the rind and place it in a food processor or blender. Toss the rind in the compost. Process or blend the pumpkin until smooth. Use immediately or cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days. (You can freeze the pumpkin for up to 6 months. You’ll want to defrost the frozen pumpkin in the refrigerator before using.)Show Nutrition
If you make this recipe, snap a photo and hashtag it #LeitesCulinaria. We’d love to see your creations on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
Recipe Testers’ Reviews
Is this pumpkin sweet potato pie a dessert? Is it a side dish? Does it matter? Always on the lookout for a unique pumpkin pie recipe, I found that this one fit the bill. The fig cookie crust came together quicker than a graham cracker crust and didn’t shrink during prebaking. The filling ingredients are all pretty standard, except for the addition of the chili powder. After mixing the ingredients, the filling pours easily into the prebaked pie shell. The finished pie has a great depth of flavor from the ginger and molasses with just a touch of heat from the chili powder. Combined with the fig cookie crust, the pie has a hint of citrus flavor to it. What needs to be said about the marshmallow topping? It’s both beautiful and the perfect topping for this pie. (Although there’s no time to walk away from the oven while the broiler is on the marshmallows. They become golden brown in less than a minute.) This could be served at the table as a side dish with turkey or as a sophisticated, satisfying dessert—no whipped cream required. Next time, rather than than adding the ingredients all together after whipping the cream cheese, I’ll add the eggs, sweet potato, and pumpkin, scraping the bowl between each addition to incorporate the cream cheese fully into the filling without worrying about bits of cream cheese in the pie.
Although the list of ingredients for this recipe is long, this pumpkin sweet potato pie is easy to make. I love the idea of using fig cookies for the crust. I used Fig Newmans and noticed that the Newman’s Own brand has several versions of the cookie, which allows people who are gluten-free to make the pie. The crust is just a little more difficult to handle because it doesn’t crumble the way a regular cookie does, and it doesn’t quite bake up as crisp as a graham cracker crust. However, the flavor is just as good. You do need to like molasses, though, because you can taste it in the pie, which is both sweet and savory. The extended family enjoyed it. I’d make it again but substitute something for the molasses.
Originally published November 04, 2016
HUNGRY FOR MORE?
If you make this recipe, snap a photo and hashtag it #LeitesCulinaria. We'd love to see your creations on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
This is unique, indeed. Pies are usually either pumpkin or sweet potato but I love that this uses both! And the flavorings (molasses and chipotle chile powder!) sound just fantastic… and topped with mini marshmallows, who could ask for more? A really fun addition to a holiday dessert table!
It’s kind of a Thanksgiving mashed-up mash-up pie, no?
Bisous, Jamie!