Velvet-rich and deeply flavored do-it-yourself butterscotch pudding, fluffy whipped cream, and a flaky butter pie crust come collectively to make one unimaginable butterscotch pie. On this recipe, you’re constructing layers of taste beginning with caramelized sugar… which is all the time a superb technique to start a dessert! It could be useful to overview my tutorial on blind bake pie crust earlier than getting began. This pie is a superb make-ahead choice as a result of it wants time to arrange within the fridge.
It is a fully from-scratch butterscotch pie recipe. You received’t discover any field pudding mixes or synthetic flavors hiding inside. Prepare for a blissful butterscotch expertise the place you’ll be able to really style the do-it-yourself distinction.
However what does butterscotch style like? Butterscotch is like caramel, however its base is brown sugar, not common white sugar. Due to this fact, butterscotch has a richer, extra complicated taste than caramel. However we’re taking this a step additional and utilizing each caramelized white sugar (much like salted caramel sauce) and darkish brown sugar on this custard for an final caramel-butterscotch taste that may knock your socks off.
Right here’s Why You’ll Love This Butterscotch Pie
- 100% from-scratch dessert recipe, and you’ll style the distinction
- Creamy and wealthy butterscotch filling is a retro nostalgic delight
- Further flaky, all-butter pie crust that’s fully baked by way of
- Fluffy whipped cream topping
- Great make-ahead dessert
- Choice so as to add a splash of rum
One style tester stated this pie tasted like a gentle do-it-yourself model of a Werther’s Authentic sweet, and that almost sums it up!
4 Elements to Butterscotch Cream Pie
- Baked Pie Crust Shell: Pie crust shell should be absolutely baked. When my staff & I initially examined this recipe, we have been utilizing a pretzel crumb crust. Whereas scrumptious, it *by no means* held form below this creamy filling. Each single one was crumbly and the pie items fell aside. I don’t advocate a crumb crust right here.
- Butterscotch Filling: Just like my do-it-yourself butterscotch pudding, solely a bit sturdier so it holds a pleasant slice, and with an added aspect of caramelized sugar for further taste.
- Whipped Cream: Have you ever made my do-it-yourself whipped cream earlier than? It’s quite simple. As we speak we’re sweetening it with brown sugar, for further taste.
- Salted Caramel Sauce: It is a easy combination of sugar, butter, heavy cream, and salt. I apply it to many, many desserts. It’s elective as a topping right here, however actually does take this dessert to the subsequent stage. Make it when you’ve got time!
Just a few recipe checks earlier than we reached perfection:
Let me stroll you thru every layer, so that you’re absolutely ready while you’re able to make it. Listed below are the entire substances you want:
First, Bake Your Pie Crust
It’s useful to overview my blind bake pie crust tutorial. Blind baking a pie crust shell = baking it with out a filling. Why can we do this? Properly, when you’ve got a no-bake pie filling like banana cream pie or right now’s butterscotch pie, you want a baked pie crust.
Be aware: You are able to do this as much as 3 days forward of time!
Begin with do-it-yourself pie dough, reminiscent of my shortening/butter pie crust, or my all-butter pie crust (what I used within the pictured pie). To bake pie crust with out a filling, you should weigh it down to assist forestall it from shrinking. I’m fairly loyal to these ceramic pie weights; they’re cheap and get the job accomplished. You can even use dry beans. (Be aware: You’ll want 2 packs of the pie weights for 1 crust!)
This baked pie crust shell is crisp, flaky, and prepared on your butterscotch filling.
How one can Make Butterscotch Filling
In the event you’ve ever made coconut cream pie, mocha chocolate pudding pie, do-it-yourself filth pudding, or pastry cream, this course of will appear a bit acquainted. You’re cooking the combination on the range.
Whisk collectively darkish brown sugar, cornstarch, egg yolks, and complete milk. This combination provides taste, richness, and—most significantly—thickens the filling. Set this apart.
- My #1 tip: Use darkish brown sugar as a substitute of sunshine brown sugar. In my recipe testing, I discovered gentle brown sugar is sweet, however darkish brown sugar is nice.
Prepare dinner the sugar and water. Right here you can be caramelizing the sugar on the range, and it’s crucial step on this complete recipe. Why? As a result of it develops the caramel/butterscotch taste. With out it, you’ll be consuming brown sugar pudding, not butterscotch pudding.
- Be aware: This step could be tough, so please comply with the cautious directions within the printable recipe under.
Slowly add the heavy cream to the caramelized sugar combination. And do that very, very slowly. Whisk your entire time. Don’t worry if the caramelized sugar combination clumps up. Simply maintain whisking as a result of it’s going to finally come again collectively.
- Be aware: I examined this recipe 9 instances, and seven instances out of 9, the combination clumped. That’s regular. It ALWAYS comes again collectively, I promise.
Add the brown sugar/egg yolk combination to the pot. Whisking consistently, pour the brown sugar/egg yolk combination into the pot. Hold whisking till the combination thickens and huge bubbles start to burst on the floor. This often takes about 5 minutes, and taking the temperature is actually useful to measure doneness. The cooked combination is finished when it reaches 195–200°F (91–93°C). Use an instant-read thermometer to test.
Take away from warmth and add the remaining substances. You want butter, salt, and vanilla extract; plus rum, bourbon, or scotch. Softened butter retains the pudding creamy and the final 3 substances are for important taste. You received’t remorse the splash of alcohol, however if you wish to go away it out, use extra vanilla as a substitute.
The custard might be easy, wealthy, and silky. Have a look at the attractive shade it developed by way of your cautious cooking course of!
Let the filling cool for five minutes, give it a whisk, after which unfold into the baked pie shell.
Refrigerate, uncovered, for a minimum of 6 hours and as much as 2 days. Per the recipe under, cowl it tightly if refrigerating it for longer than 6 hours.
In the event you’re in search of Thanksgiving pie recipes or hoping to make this pie for a particular celebration, you’ll be able to completely get it going forward of the large day!
Topping Your Butterscotch Pie
Proper earlier than, or as much as 1 hour earlier than, serving, high the pie with do-it-yourself whipped cream. Use darkish brown sugar to sweeten it, for further butterscotch taste. You may beautify it any which manner—a thick layer of whipped cream like this banoffee pie, or fairly and piped like this coconut cream pie.
Drizzle with salted caramel sauce, if desired. Now savor each flaky, creamy, silky, buttery chunk because it melts in your mouth, since you deserve it. You made this all from scratch!
This recipe is a part of Sally’s Pie Week, an annual custom the place I share a handful of recent recipes that match into the pie/crisp/tart class. Be part of the group under!
Butterscotch Pie
Prep Time: 3 hours (contains crust)
Prepare dinner Time: 40 minutes
Whole Time: 9 hours, 40 minutes (contains chilling)
Yield: 1 9-inch pie
Class: Dessert
Methodology: Baking
Delicacies: American
Description
Velvet-rich and deeply flavored do-it-yourself butterscotch pudding, fluffy whipped cream, and a flaky crust come collectively to make one unimaginable butterscotch pie. On this recipe, you’re constructing layers of taste beginning with caramelized sugar. This recipe is an superior baking recipe. Learn by way of your entire recipe earlier than starting as a result of there are a number of completely different elements. It’s additionally useful to overview my tutorial on blind bake pie crust. This pie is a superb make-ahead choice as a result of it wants time to arrange within the fridge.
Crust
Butterscotch Filling
Whipped Cream Topping
Directions
- At the very least 2 hours forward, make the pie dough: Make and chill the pie crust dough by way of step 5 in both recipe. It wants to relax within the fridge for a minimum of 2 hours earlier than rolling out (subsequent step). The recipe makes 2 crusts, and also you solely want 1 for this pie, so save the opposite for one other pie. (Pie dough freezes effectively!)
- Roll out the chilled pie dough: On a floured work floor, roll out one of many discs of chilled dough. Flip the dough a few quarter flip after each few rolls till you might have a circle 12 inches in diameter. Rigorously place the dough right into a 9-inch pie dish. Tuck it in along with your fingers, ensuring it’s fully easy. To make a beautiful thick edge, I don’t trim extra dough across the edges. As a substitute, fold the surplus dough again over the sting and use your fingers to mildew the sting right into a rim across the pie. Crimp the perimeters with a fork or use your fingers to flute the perimeters. (Evaluation this crimp and flute pie crust web page when you want further assist with this step.) If dough is simply too heat, fluting/crimping might be tough, so you’ll be able to all the time chill it within the fridge for five–10 minutes first. After fluting/crimping the perimeters, chill the formed pie crust within the fridge for a minimum of half-hour, and as much as 5 days. Cowl the pie crust with plastic wrap if chilling for longer than half-hour. Chilling the formed dough helps forestall the crust from shrinking.
- Whereas the crust is chilling, preheat oven to 375°F (190°C).
- Blind bake the crust: Line the chilled pie crust with parchment paper. (It helps to scrunch up the parchment paper first as a way to simply match it into the crust.) Fill with pie weights or dried beans. (Be aware that you’ll want a minimum of 2 normal units of pie weights for this.) I prefer to push the weights up towards the perimeters of the pie crust to assist guarantee the perimeters don’t shrink down. Bake till the perimeters of the crust are beginning to brown, about 15–16 minutes. Take away pie crust from the oven and thoroughly elevate the parchment paper (with the weights) out of the pie. Prick holes all around the backside crust with a fork. If desired for a shiny golden crust, brush egg wash on edges. Return pie crust to the oven and bake for 14–quarter-hour, or till the underside has browned. Take away from the oven, and place on a cooling rack to chill earlier than filling. You may blind bake the crust as much as 3 days forward of time. Cowl cooled crust tightly and refrigerate till able to fill. (Evaluation this par-bake pie crust web page when you want further assist with this blind-baking step.)
- Make the butterscotch filling: In a medium bowl (ideally with a pour spout), whisk collectively darkish brown sugar and cornstarch. Add in complete milk and egg yolks, and whisk till mixed; attempt to rid any massive brown sugar clumps. Don’t fear if the egg yolks separate a bit. It’s going to all come collectively on the range. Set combination apart.
- Place granulated sugar and water in a medium or massive chrome steel saucepan (don’t use nonstick) and cook dinner over medium warmth. Whisk or stir till the sugar and water are mixed, after which cease stirring. Use a water-moistened pastry brush to brush down any sugar on the perimeters of the pan, to stop it from crystallizing. Prepare dinner, selecting up and swirling the pan often, till the sugar combination turns amber-brown, about 5 to 7 minutes. Scale back the warmth all the way down to low. Pouring very slowly, whisk in somewhat of the heavy cream. The combination will quickly bubble and steam, so use warning. Proceed slowly pouring within the remaining heavy cream somewhat at a time, whisking consistently. The cooked sugar syrup could clump up or persist with the underside of the pot. That’s fully regular, simply maintain cooking and whisking. Don’t hand over! I promise it’s going to come collectively.
- As soon as the entire heavy cream has been added and there aren’t any extra cooked sugar clumps, enhance the warmth again as much as medium and whisk and cook dinner the combination for two minutes.
- In a sluggish and regular stream, pour the brown sugar-egg yolk combination into the saucepan, whisking your entire time. Hold whisking till the combination thickens and huge bubbles start to burst on the floor, about 5 minutes, give or take. All stoves are completely different, so use an instant-read thermometer to test for doneness. The cooked combination is finished when it reaches 195–200°F (91–93°C).
- Take away from warmth and whisk within the butter, salt, vanilla, and alcohol (or extra vanilla). Let the filling cool for five minutes, give it one other whisk, after which unfold it evenly into the baked pie shell. I take advantage of an offset spatula for this, however the again of a spoon works, too. (It’s not a brilliant thick layer of filling, as a result of it’s so intensely flavorful.) The baked pie shell can both be fully cooled, or it may well nonetheless be a bit heat. Simply be sure that it’s not piping scorching.
- Refrigerate, uncovered, for a minimum of 6 hours and as much as 2 days. After 6 hours, cowl it with plastic wrap with the plastic wrap touching the floor of the pie to assist forestall condensation.
- When able to serve, or as much as 1 hour earlier than serving, make the whipped cream: Utilizing a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whip the heavy cream, brown sugar, and vanilla extract on medium-high velocity till medium peaks type, about 3 minutes. Medium peaks are between gentle/free peaks and stiff peaks and are the proper consistency for topping and piping on desserts. Pipe or unfold the whipped cream on high of the pie. If desired, high with a number of drizzles of salted caramel sauce.
- Slice and serve. Cowl leftovers and retailer within the fridge for as much as 5 days.
Notes
- Make Forward & Freezing Directions: The pie dough could be ready forward of time and saved within the fridge for as much as 5 days or within the freezer for as much as 3 months. There are many methods to make this recipe forward of time. See finish of step 2 and step 10. You may freeze the pie after step 10. Make certain the filling is totally cool contained in the pie shell previous to freezing. Cowl with an additional layer of plastic wrap earlier than freezing. Freeze for as much as 3 months. Thaw within the fridge or on the counter previous to topping with whipped cream.
- Particular Instruments (affiliate hyperlinks): Rolling Pin | Pie Dish | Pie Weights | Pastry Brush | Cooling Rack | Egg Separator | Whisk | Silicone Spatula | Medium Heavy Responsibility Saucepan | Glass Mixing Bowls | Prompt-Learn Thermometer | Offset Spatula | Electrical Mixer (Handheld or Stand)
- Pie Crust: Each linked pie crust recipes make 2 crusts. You solely want 1 crust for this pie, so freeze the 2nd half for one more use or one other one-crust pie like pumpkin pie, pecan pie, or apple cranberry crumble pie.
- Do I have to blind bake the pie crust if utilizing store-bought crust? Sure. Comply with the identical directions for blind baking.
- Entire Milk & Heavy Cream: These are crucial for the custard to set correctly. I don’t advocate any substitutions.
- Can I take advantage of a crumb crust as a substitute? When my staff & I initially examined this recipe, we have been utilizing a pretzel crust. Whereas scrumptious, it *by no means* held form below this creamy filling. Each single one was crumbly and the pie items fell aside. The identical will occur with a graham cracker crust and due to this fact, I don’t advocate a crumb crust right here.
Tailored from All Recipes with a number of modifications to accentuate the flavour