Butterscotch Pie
Butterscotch Pie is a timeless dessert full of buttery, caramel flavors that make the perfect finish to any holiday or weeknight meal!
Why We Love Butterscotch Pudding Pie
- Butterscotch Pie is easily made from scratch, so no box pudding mixes here! It takes a little time but those homemade butterscotch flavors are so worth it and everyone will be able to taste it!
- When the leaves are falling you know it’s time to break out this butterscotch pudding pie recipe, with all of its comforting butter and sugar flavors, but this pie is also perfect any time of year!
- Make new or more holiday memories with the family when you create a Butterscotch Pie. This pie is a much-loved Thanksgiving treat! Be sure to check out the tips section for a great seasonal variation of Butterscotch Cinnamon Pie.
- Besides cooking the crust in the oven, this butterscotch custard pie filling is made on the stovetop and chilled in the fridge, so it’s a perfect make-ahead pie and doesn’t hog the oven when you have a lot of other dishes to bake!
What is Butterscotch Pie made of?
PIE CRUST: Cook and cool your pre-made pie crust ahead of time. You can also make a pie crust from scratch if you’d like, using your favorite recipe or this Perfect Pie Crust recipe!
PANTRY ITEMS: To make this pie you will need dark brown sugar, vanilla extract, cornstarch, and salt.
REFRIGERATED ITEMS: You will need a few egg yolks for this pie, along with unsalted butter, heavy cream, and whole milk.
TOPPING: Pick up a tub of whipped cream, butterscotch chips, butterscotch sauce, or even toasted nuts like cashews or pecans to top this luscious pie.
How to Make Butterscotch Pie
Jump to RecipeSTEP 1 Add the brown sugar, heavy cream, and butter to a medium saucepan and cook over medium-low heat, whisking continuously. The mix will become smooth when the butter melts. Bring the mix to a boil and then reduce the heat to simmer it for a few minutes, until it thickens a little.
STEP 2 Reserve two tablespoons of milk and then stir the rest of the milk into the saucepan and set aside to cool slightly. Place a fine mesh sieve over a large bowl and set this aside for later. In a separate medium-sized bowl, whisk together the reserved milk, cornstarch, egg yolks, and salt until smooth.
STEP 3 Slowly pour the eggs into the saucepan with the sugar mix, whisking as you do, and heat the saucepan to medium-low heat.
STEP 4 Once the custard is well combined, remove the saucepan from the heat and strain small amounts of the custard at a time through the sieve, into the large bowl. Scrape the sieve with a spatula to help press the custard through. Stir the vanilla extract into the butterscotch custard.
STEP 5 Pour the custard into the pie crust and spread evenly. Allow the pie to cool to room temperature before covering it with plastic wrap and refrigerating for at least 6 hours, or preferably overnight. When you are ready to serve, top your butterscotch pie with whipped cream and your choice of toppings, or let everyone choose their own
Tips & Tricks
- The pie crust needs to be cooked and fully cooled before adding the butterscotch custard. You can cook the pie crust up to a day ahead of time and store it covered on the counter.
- Straining the custard is a great way to remove any possible lumps. Sometimes when adding eggs to warm ingredients small pieces can cook, resulting in small lumps but if you’d prefer to skip this step or are not worried about lumps then you don’t have to strain the custard.
- For an even more delicious seasonal pie try a butterscotch cinnamon pie! When whisking together the cornstarch, eggs, and salt, add 1 ½ teaspoons of cinnamon and follow the recipe as written.
- Wait to add any toppings, including the whipped cream, until the pie is fully set and you are ready to serve.
Butterscotch Pie Recipe FAQ
Where did Butterscotch Pie originate?
Scrumptious Butterscotch Pie was a happy accident, created by Sarah Wheeler in Indiana in 1904. The story is that she accidentally overcooked butterscotch custard and decided to toss it into a pie for her kids. This “overcooked” custard pie turned out to be a huge hit and launched not only Butterscotch Pie’s reputation but also Sarah Wheeler’s, who opened a chain of restaurants in the following years.
Does Butterscotch Pie need to be refrigerated?
Butterscotch Pie is one pie that absolutely needs to be kept refrigerated. The mix of milk, cream, and eggs means this pie can not sit out on the counter for longer than 1 hour. Keep your pie covered in the fridge both before and after serving. Butterscotch Pie can be kept for up to 5 days if it’s stored in an airtight container in the fridge. (I usually use Press’n Seal to cover the pie plate. It makes covering and uncovering SUPER easy and I don’t need a special pie storage container.)
How many carbs are in a Butterscotch Pie?
The amount of carbs in butterscotch pie can vary by recipe, but for this particular recipe, there are 47 grams of carbs per slice of pie. This number will go down if you cut the pie into smaller slices.
The base and main flavor agent of this pie is brown sugar, without which you could not achieve that wonderful butterscotch flavor! The carb count is for the pie only and does not factor in the various toppings that can be added.
Other Recipes You May Like
- Apple Crumb Pie
- Bourbon Bacon Pecan Pie
- Sweet Potato Pie
- Double Layer Cream Cheese Pumpkin Pie
- Walnut & Cranberry Pie
Butterscotch Pie
Ingredients
- 1 9-inch pie crust baked and cooled
- 1 cup dark brown sugar
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 cups whole milk
- 5 tablespoons cornstarch
- 3 egg yolks
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
- Place the brown sugar, heavy cream, and butter into a medium saucepan. Place over medium-low heat, and start whisking immediately so the sugar doesn’t burn. Once the butter melts it will become smooth. Stirring occasionally, bring it to a boil. Then reduce to a simmer and cook for 2 minutes until slightly thickened. Remove from the heat.
- Reserve 2 tablespoons of milk. Pour the rest of the milk into the saucepan and whisk to combine. Set aside.
- Place a fine-mesh strainer over a large bowl. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the reserved milk, cornstarch, egg yolks, and salt until smooth. Stream the egg mixture into the saucepan while whisking. Place the pot back on the stove over medium-low heat, whisking constantly so it doesn’t scorch on the bottom. The mixture will thicken to a thick pudding-like consistency.
- Immediately pour some of the custard into the mesh strainer over the bowl. (You will need to do this a little at a time.) Use a rubber spatula to press the custard through the strainer. Don’t forget to scrape the custard off the bottom of the strainer when you are done.Pro Tip: Straining the custard will make sure that is completely smooth. There is a chance the egg may cook slightly and leave a few small chunks, which is why we strain. If you don’t mind that possibility, you can skip this step entirely.
- Whisk the vanilla into the custard. Pour the butterscotch custard into the baked pie crust and smooth out the top. Let cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes to 1 hour.
- Cover the pie with plastic wrap. Place in the fridge for at least 6 hours until set (chilling overnight is best). Cut into 8 slices and serve with whipped cream and your favorite toppings.
Notes
- You need to bake and cool the pie crust ahead of time. This can be done up to 1 day ahead of time. Store, covered, on the counter at room temperature.
- If you want to make butterscotch cinnamon pie, add 1 ½ teaspoons of ground cinnamon to the egg and cornstarch mixture.
Nutrition
All nutritional information is based on third party calculations and is only an estimate. Each recipe and nutritional value will vary depending on the brands you use, measuring methods and portion sizes per household.