Recipe: Sweet Potato Comfort Pie

Makes 2 (9-inch) pies.

Note: There are people who think a pie is just a circular pastry with some filling on top. These people have never met Rose McGee. The recipe she shares here makes two pies so, in the spirit of Sweet Potato Comfort Pie, you might want to keep one for yourself and give one to someone in your community. "Do not just hand a person a pie," McGee said. "Ask, 'Are you willing to accept a pie?' And if they do, as soon as they open the box, they will be able to tell it's not factory made, that it's a genuine homemade pie. People are in awe."

• 4 medium to large sweet potatoes, boiled with skin on until tender, then cooled and peeled

• 1 c. brown sugar

• 2 c. granulated sugar

• 2 eggs, lightly beaten

• 1/2 c. (1 stick) butter, melted and cooled

• 1 tsp. ground ginger

• 1 tbsp. ground nutmeg

• 1 tbsp. ground cinnamon

• 2 tbsp. vanilla extract

• 1 c. milk

• 1 tsp. lemon extract

• 2 unbaked pie shells

• Additional pie crust dough, for heart-shaped decoration, optional

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a bowl of an electric mixer, blend sweet potatoes with brown sugar and granulated sugar. Beat in eggs. Add melted butter, then stir in ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon and vanilla extract, and mix well. Stir in milk. Then stir in lemon extract.

Pour filling into pie shells. If adding a decoration on top of the pie, use a cookie cutter to make a heart shape. Place on top of pie filling.

Place pie in oven. Immediately reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake 60 minutes or until center of pie is firm. Remove from oven. Allow to cool at least 1 hour before eating and at least 2 hours before packaging.