Food Friday--Mini Sweet Potato Pies

It's been a while since I posted a recipe for you.  We found out in mid-September that my father had been diagnosed with lung cancer and had only been given two weeks to live.  I took a break from my "normal" routine to spend as much time with him as I could.  He passed away on October 31, 2013.  My father was cremated and most of his ashes will be buried at sea by the US Navy.  I received my portion of his ashes on Christmas Eve.  

It is difficult to get back into your old routine when your life has changed so much, and it has taken me a while to get back to some semblance of normal.  I am still trying to figure out how to adjust to no longer having my dad around.

So, having now ruined this post for everyone, I present to you a recipe that my son loved, I thought was okay, and I have no idea what my husband thought as he just ate it and didn't really comment.

Mini Sweet Potato Pies.

What you need

1 pie crust to fit a 9 inch pie (I prefer to make my own, but a store bought refrigerated crust works, too)

1 40 oz can sweet potatoes, drained (or even better, an equivalent amount of fresh, cooked, mashed sweet potatoes)

3/4 cup evaporated milk (I use fat free, but regular works, too, and gives a richer taste)

2 egg whites

1/4 cup sugar

2 tablespoons maple syrup

3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg 

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 cup mini marshmallows (I think these are optional, my son thinks they are mandatory)

What you do (pictures after the recipe)

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F. and spray four, four inch ramekins with nonstick cooking spray.

If using a home made pie crust, make it like normal, and after rolling it out, divide it into four equal portions.  If using a store bought pie crust, unroll it and cut it into four equal portions.  Either way, form each of those sections into a ball, then roll back out until the crusts are large enough to fit up the sides of a 4 inch ramekin.

In a blender, food processor or a bowl with an immersion blender puree the sweet potatoes, evaporated milk, egg whites, sugar, maple syrup, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves (everything except the pie crust and marshmallows), until smooth and well combined. 

Divide the mixture evenly amongst your four ramekins (you may have some sweet potato mixture left over).  

Bake for 10 minutes, then reduce the heat to 300 degrees continue to bake for another 25 to 30 minutes.  Top with marshmallows if desired and bake  an additional 5 minutes, or until the marshmallows are light golden brown.

Remove from oven and let cool before cutting each pie into 4 servings.

Little dough balls

Rolled back out, big enough to fit inside a ramekin.

Patted into the ramekin

Filled with goodness.

They really are browned, you just can't tell.