Easy Sweet Potato Pie

Make the dough in the food processor:

1. Dice the unsalted butter and shortening and place it in the freezer while preparing the flour mixture. In a food processor fitted with a steel blade, pulse flour, salt, and sugar to combine; add the chilled butter and shortening pieces and pulse until the mixture resembles a coarse crumble with only a few larger pieces, about 8 to 12 pulses.
2. In a small bowl, combine 3 tablespoons of ice water and 1 tablespoon of pure vanilla extract. With the machine running, pour the ice water mixture down the feed tube and pulse the machine until the mixture is evenly moistened and very crumbly; don't let the dough form into a ball in the machine.

Make the dough By hand:

1. Cut the butter and shortening into the flour in a large flat-bottomed mixing bowl using a pastry cutter or two forks; do not smash or smear the butter. Instead, scrape butter off the pastry blender during the mixing process and continue mixing. If the fats are softening too fast, put the bowl in the refrigerator until it firms up, 2–5 minutes.
2. Sprinkling 3 tablespoons of liquid over the flour mixture; use a bench scraper or your hands to incorporate until the mixture begins to come together. Sprinkle in 1 more tablespoon of liquid and continue the mixing process. Squeeze a fistful of dough: if it holds, like wet sand, it’s ready.
3. If it falls apart, add 1 more tablespoon of ice water, squeezing the dough to check if it holds. Bring all the dough together, sprinkling dry bits with more small drops of ice water; the dough will look shaggy. Knead in the bowl just until incorporated).

Form the dough:

1. Remove the bowl from the machine, remove the blade, turn the dough onto a work surface, and bring the dough together by hand. Shape into flat disks and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, preferably overnight. (Note: Dough can be refrigerated for up to 3 days and frozen for up to 1 month, tightly wrapped.)

Roll the dough:

1. Lightly grease a 9-inch deep pie dish with baking spray with flour or softened unsalted butter, including the rim, and set aside. Lightly dust a work surface and a rolling pin with flour. Place chilled pie disk on the work surface and let the dough sit on the countertop for 5-10 minutes so that it's malleable enough to roll; lightly dust it with flour and roll dough by starting at the center and lightly pressing down with the rolling pin to flatten slightly. Rotate the dough and repeat, pressing down so it's evenly flattened all around, about ⅛-inch thick.
2. Then roll outward to make a circle, rotating the dough a quarter-turn at a time to keep it even. (If the dough is softening too fast, chill in the refrigerator until firm, 2–5 minutes.) Roll the dough until it's about 2–3 inches larger than the pie dish, all the way around.
3. Overturn the pie dish onto the center of the dough circle, and use a pizza wheel to trim away the rough edges. (Save the scraps to make crust cookies, if desired!) Remove the pie dish and place it right side up on your work surface.
4. Use the light indentation created by the rim as a guide for gently positioning dough into the center of the dish. (If the dough is softening too fast, put it back into the refrigerator until it firms up, 2–5 minutes.)
5. Fit crust gently into the dish, pressing firmly against the side and bottom, careful not to stretch the dough. Trim away the excess dough, leaving a ½-inch overhang all around. Fold it under; flute or crimp the edge with your fingers (lightly flour your fingers if the dough is sticking). Alternately you can use the tines of a fork to crimp the edges.
6. Next, prick the bottom of the crust all over with a fork to prevent bubbles; this keeps it from puffing as it bakes; place the crust in the freezer for at least 15 minutes while you heat the oven to 425 F degrees.

Blind Baking:

1. Next, place the unbaked pie on a sheet pan and line the crust with parchment paper. Then fill the paper three-quarters full with pie weight or dried beans and bake the crust for 20 to 25 minutes until the edges start to brown.
2. Remove the pie weight and parchment paper (If you're using dried beans, save the beans for another time), and bake for another 5 minutes. Then, reduce the pie crust from the oven and set it aside to cool while preparing the sweet potato filling.

For the Sweet Potato Pie Filling:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Poke the sweet potatoes all over with a fork, and put them on a foil-lined half-sheet pan—Bake, turning once, until very tender, about 45 minutes to 1 hour. Remove from the oven and allow to cool. When the sweet potatoes are cool enough to handle, slice lengthwise and scrape the pulp out of the skin. Increase the oven to 425 F degrees.
2. (Alternatively, you can prick the sweet potatoes all over with a fork. Then, place them on a microwave-safe plate and microwave on high (100% power) until the sweet potatoes are very soft when giving them a squeeze, about 12 to 14 minutes, rotating the plate one quarter turn every 3 minutes or so. Let it stand for five minutes. Next, cut the potato lengthwise, scrape the pulp out of the skin, or peel them).
3. Transfer the cooked sweet potatoes to the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment; beat the potatoes on medium-high speed until completely smooth. Add the butter, spices, brown sugar, and vanilla and beat until combined. Taste and add more brown sugar or spice if you'd like. The amount will depend on the sweetness of the sweet potatoes.
4. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the evaporated milk and beat thoroughly until smooth and well combined. Pour into the pre-baked pie crust and spread it evenly.
5. Bake the sweet potato pie for 15 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 350 degrees F. Bake until the top is golden brown and the filling has puffed and set, about 40 to 50 minutes, or until a skewer is inserted in the center and comes out clean.
6. If the crust browns too quickly, cover it with foil and continue baking. Let cool completely on a wire rack; keep refrigerate after cooling. Serve it with Maple whipped and vanilla ice cream or a hot cup of coffee. Cover leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

How to Make the Maple Whipped Cream:

1. Place the cream in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and beat on medium speed for 1 minute. Add the cream cheese, maple syrup, cinnamon, and pure vanilla extract and beat on medium-high until it forms soft peaks.