The Secret To Patti Labelle's Famous Sweet Potato Pie

There's nothing quite as satisfying as the first forkful of sweet potato pie — and then the next one and the next one and so on! It's well-known that taking shortcuts with sweet potato pie is a huge mistake and that the time and effort spent on crafting the perfect dessert is well worth it when every bite absolutely sings. Speaking of which, Grammy-winning singer Patti Labelle has a sweet potato pie recipe that's definitely one of the best. The recipe, from LaBelle's best friend and hairstylist, Norma Gordon Harris, is featured in the singer's book, "Desserts LaBelle: Soulful Sweets to Sing About," which is available on Amazon. The addition of a layer of brown sugar on the crust is just one of the many tips and tricks that make her sweet potato pie recipe a slice above the rest.

Having a brown sugar bottom that sits between your pie crust and the sweet potato filling does more than provide extra sweetness. In fact, this layer acts like a forcefield, separating the crust and filling from one another to avoid the crust getting soggy while the pie is baking. If you prefer a pie crust that's particularly flaky, the additional brown sugar is the way to go. There are also several other great ideas in Labelle's recipe that help bakers get the most flavorful pie filling and flaky crust for the ideal combination of both taste and texture in every bite.

In addition to the vital brown sugar layer in your sweet potato pie crust, Patti Labelle's famous recipe also refers to her "favorite pie dough," which is featured in her recipe book. This dough can be pre-made and saved in the refrigerator for up to a day before baking. With this in mind, if you've decided to start prepping your sweet potato pies ahead of the holidays by boiling and mashing the potatoes for your filling and freezing them, you can get at least some of the most labor-intensive parts done. Remember that point about shortcuts: For the best sweet potato pie, you'll want to make the best fruit pie and homemade pie crust rather than using store-bought crust and canned sweet potatoes.

One thing that stands out about Labelle's pie crust dough is the recommendation of using either vegetable shortening or lard in lieu of butter, which makes for a flakier crust rather than a crumbly one. She specifically recommends Crisco Butter Flavor All-Vegetable Shortening (available on Amazon or most grocery stores) which provides the right consistency while maintaining a familiar flavor. From there, the sweet potato filling is fairly straightforward, using evaporated milk for an extra-rich taste. Between the spices, flavors, and unforgettable texture, this flaky and hearty sweet potato pie will be the talk of your dessert table.