Welcome to a new series here on Joy the Baker called Cliff Notes, authored by, my favorite baker and my favorite Cliff – MY DAD! Dad is the inspiration behind the classics here on the blog. You know him and love him for his Chocolate Chip Cookies, and Buttermilk Pancakes and he’s also author of, casually, the best Sweet Potato Pie on the planet. Let’s here how this famous pie came to be from the man, the myth, the legend himself – Clifford Wilson. xo Joy
Greetings all! It’s me, Dad. I’ve had the pleasure of meeting many of you wonderful people, and it’s been a blast sharing my passion for baking with you. Since eating is essential, it’s a heck of a lot more fun eating foods that inspire the taste buds and light of your life. In my case, however, I’m not too picky. I can savor a Big Mac as enjoyably as a medium rare rib-eye with Béarnaise sauce and roasted asparagus. Oh, and don’t forget the baked potato, loaded, all while imbibing a Merlot. But I digress
When Joy took my Sweet Potato Pie recipe and ran with it, I was delighted! It was a recipe I had worked on for many years until, at last, it turned out to be what it is today! The spark of the idea came from Mrs. Miller, one of the cooks at my junior high school when I was thirteen years old—and it wasn’t even pie related! So how does that work? Keep in mind, at that age, I didn’t have the slightest interest in cooking. The only time I went in the kitchen was to bug my mother about when dinner would be ready. “Set the table, boy, and quit pestering me!” was Mother’s predictable response. But Mrs. Miller made the best cinnamon rolls I ever ate—piping hot, fresh out of the oven for our nutrition break after second period. Oh, my goodness, they melted in my mouth! That cinnamony, buttery flavor was off the hook! But there was another seasoning—a warm, inviting flavor—that I couldn’t put my finger on, but wow! One day after nutrition, I knocked on the backdoor of the hash house (the hash house was a mini kitchen next to the school cafeteria where the nutrition period pastries were made and served). Mrs. Miller, a middle-aged woman wearing a white uniform opened the door and looked at me like, What does this knucklehead want? I said, “Could you tell me the secret spice in your cinnamon rolls that makes them so good?” Her expression softened, and she smiled, as if thinking, This kid gets it! He tasted it! She let me in and introduced me to some of the other cooks, and then pointed to the counter. There sat a tin of that secret spice. Coriander. (Coriander is the seed of Cilantro. While cilantro is an herb used in soups, salads and guacamole, as well as a garnish, coriander, when ground, becomes a soothing spice with nutty undertones and citrus/orange notes. It’s utterly awesome!) Thanks Mrs. Miller!
Fast-forward twelve years. I’m a young man working at the central post office in downtown Los Angeles. Long hours and hard work. Working 10-hour days, six days a week, one’s fellow employees become like family. One of my buddies loved to bake pies; his specialty was sweet potato pie, and his goal was to make all the overtime he could for two years, save his money, and then quit the post office and open a bakery with his brother. He made tart-sized pies to give away at work so he’d have a customer base when he started his bakery. I thought they were pretty good (remember, I’m not too picky) but when I brought his sweet potato pie to my mother, she critiqued it like a bad movie. “What’d he do, mash up candied yams out of a can and put them in a store-bought pie crust?” Mother said, pushing the slice away. Ouch! “This is unacceptable!” she continued. After all, my mother was an expert on sweet potato pies, coming from Tennessee, raised dirt-poor where she and her sisters harvested their own yams. “The sugar shouldn’t drown out the flavor of the yam! And I want to taste the butter, the cream, and the eggs. The crust should be flaky and buttery, and the spices in the filling should be warm and inviting.” When Mother told me that, I instantly thought of Mrs. Miller’s secret spice for her cinnamon rolls. Coriander!
I didn’t have the heart to tell my friend that my mother disliked his pie. He eventually opened his bakery. However, sadly, it closed after four years. From that point on, I decided to develop a sweet potato pie of my own! One that my mother would have approved of. Mother never got a chance to taste my finished product, but I know she would’ve loved it! I think Mrs. Miller would’ve loved it too!
Sweet potato pie is an excellent alternative to pumpkin pie. Serve it with a dollop of whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Take a cold slice and zap it in the microwave for 20 seconds. It’s amazing how the texture becomes more tender and the flavors pop when the pie is slightly warm. Sweet potato pie is a tradition in the Wilson household during the holiday season. But honestly, I make it for birthday parties, barbecues, and family gatherings all year round. Enjoy!
Find the Sweet Potato Pie recipe here! And Joy has adapted the recipe to make a Gluten, Dairy and Refined Sugar Free Sweet Potato Pie that’s great!
xo Cliff
29 Responses
Will your daddy post his Cinnamon Roll recipe? Is it fluffy? I hope so!
Thank you! Your pie has become one of my thanksgiving staples (never with praline or meringue, simply whipped cream) – perfection. Now I’m going to have to try coriander in cinnamon rolls!
oh I’m so excited about this new series! Thank you so much for sharing your talents, Cliff – both with Joy and with us!
Cliff,
Thank you so much for sharing the story of how this lovely recipe came to be. This has become a staple recipe for me. I made it for my southern mother and she marveled at how perfect it is. Happy holidays!
Yaaayy!!! After your IG Live debut I’m so glad we’ve got you officially on the blog! You’re a treasure – and so are your recipes!
Cliff, it is great to get the origin story for the sweet potato pie. Your recipe is transformational. I made sweet potato pie for the first time a few years aga using your recipe. It is so delicious, The coriander makes all the difference! Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Ooh, Cliff, your pie has become a holiday staple in my house. I make it every fall at least twice. Thank you so much for developing and passing down this gem!
Mr. Wilson! Great to see you again! Thank you for sharing this recipe all those years ago. I had never had a sweet potato pie before yours but I loved the ingredients list, so I gave it a try. I am so glad I did and grateful you shared! It’s become a classic at all of my family and work events. The delicate flavor is such a welcome break from pumpkin pie. I’ve even converted some pumpkin pie die-hards with it! ?
Fantastic baker AND an engaging writer! Can’t wait to read more! And to bake your sweet potato pie!
After a long day of emails, meetings, and “fires”, this post was a delight! I am so glad this is becoming a new series. Mr Wilson your story was everything I needed to read this evening. Thank you both Joy and Mr Wilson!
Looking forward to making this pie for the seventh consecutive year. My family swore it’s the best “pumpkin” pie they ever had! Now they always request it and I let them believe what they like ?
Thank you for sharing, Mr. Wilson! Great teachers are such a blessing. I can’t wait to try your sweet potato pie!
If this isn’t love, I don’t know what is!
This recipe has been a traditional autumn desert that my friends and family look forward to me making every November in Kuwait! Thank you and Joy for sharing your recipe with the world <3
Yessss!!!! So pumped to hear from you, Cliff!
Thank you so much for sharing your writing, your story, and your pie, Mr. Wilson! What an enjoyable start to the day!
So nice to hear from Joy’s dad today! I’ve made your sweet potato pie a Thanksgiving tradition for my family for several years now. We all love sweet potatoes in all their iterations, This pie is a nice subtle contrast to pumpkin pie due to those lovely spices!
Looking forward to your posts!!
Cliff, I’ve eaten a lot of sweet potato pies since I moved from California to the South twenty years ago, but I never tasted one that knocked me out until Joy posted your recipe. Your pie has permanently replaced pumpkin pie in all my holiday baking. You’re the man.
Coriander! Of all spices! PS Magnificent story-telling! In a world of AI-bland and just-gimme-the-damn-recipe posts, I’m all for this old-school blogging, right out of Gourmet and all the best long-gone magazines. Thank you for such a bright spot to the morning, thank you, Joy, for defying the conventional damn-SEO wisdom.
Do we call you Mr. Wilson? Cliff? Papa Joy?! (I like the latter) This finally convinced me to make sweet potato pie (well, this and the fact that I’m invited to not one, but TWO friendsgivings this year, and no better excuse to make pie than having friends to share it with!) so thank you for your delightful words and the background story on how this pie came to be :)
First, Mr. Wilson, may I thank you and your wife for Joy? She is a gift to the world. May I also say welcome to this space? I look forward to more of your magic.
Mr. Wilson, it turns out I love your authorial voice as much as your sweet potato pie! (And Joy’s cream cheese cinnamon rolls, which started me on my own baking journey more than a decade ago.) Thank you so much for sharing!
Best start to my day. Thank you for sharing the story behind this awesome recipe.
Really happy you’re here :)))
Nancy
Good morning Mr. Wilson and welcome. What a great story-thanks so much for sharing it with us!!
The post we’ve longer for for so long! Welcome, Mr. Wilson! So glad you’re here! That pie is legendary, a must-make in our home every year!
*longed for
Oh, this is wonderful! I’m so glad this is going to be a series! Mr. Wilson, you are a true gem. Joy, you’ve got a real one here!
Well, Mr. Wilson, you are a Yam. I’d say peach, but that’s the wrong ingredient. I have made your pies and cookies, which always go fast, no matter the occasion. I enjoyed your story. Thank you for your service!
I’ve never made sweet potato pie. I live in France where I need to buy fresh pumpkins and start from scratch to make pumpkin pie. So, in the times when pumpkins aren’t available, I can always find yams. So, this would be a great thing to try sometime! I have a little pumpkin waiting on me now, so I couldn’t give this a shot right now, but I will! Thanks