This Butterscotch Pie has a silky, custard-like filling with a deep butterscotch taste that pairs completely with the buttery, flaky crust and whipped cream on prime. It’s additionally excellent for prepping forward, as a result of it must set within the fridge. The right pie for Thanksgiving!
Getting this butterscotch pie excellent was no simple feat. It took numerous exams, lots of trial and error, and even a break earlier than I got here again decided to excellent it. The entire pre-existing recipes I attempted had been missing in that daring, wealthy butterscotch taste I used to be searching for. I thought of making a filling just like the one in my turtle pie (which is superb BTW), however that has extra of a sweet texture. I wished a lusciously easy, custard-like filling for this one. After lots of experimenting, I lastly cracked the code, and let me inform you, it was value each minute.
This pie is every thing a butterscotch pie needs to be. It’s filled with deep, actual butterscotch taste folded right into a silky, custard-like filling that’s a dream to chew into. All of it comes collectively completely with a buttery, flaky crust – a great, easy base for the wealthy filling. So, if you happen to’ve been looking for the butterscotch pie to make, that is it.
The Butterscotch Pie You’ll Wish to Eat Straight from the Fridge
This butterscotch pie is one for the books. Right here’s what makes it so particular:
- Actual-deal butterscotch taste. True butterscotch is made with brown sugar, which is what you’ll discover on this pie. And it’s not mild on taste – it’s butterscotch all the best way.
- Dreamy, easy texture. By SO a lot testing with cornstarch, egg yolks, and gelatin, I bought the filling excellent. It’s bought this tremendous creamy, lusciously custard-like consistency that units fantastically for the best spoon-through texture.
- Good distinction of textures. Talking of silky easy fillings, I can’t get sufficient of the best way this one pairs with its crisp, flaky, buttery crust for the last word steadiness of crunch and creaminess, chew after chew.
Elements and Notes
Time to collect your substances! I used very particular substances for this pie. Right here’s what you’ll want, why and what to not swap. (see the recipe card beneath for exact measurements):
- Chilly unsalted butter and Chilly water – In terms of the crust, these substances are tremendous essential to maintain chilly if you would like a flakey crust. The chilly butter creates pocked inside the crust that flip into the area between your flakey layers when it bakes. If the butter will get to heat and melts earlier than you bake the crust, you lose the flakiness. So preserve the butter and water chilly.
- Massive egg yolks – I like utilizing room temperature eggs. They whisk collectively extra easily and simply than chilly ones.
- Packed darkish brown sugar – And loads of it. You positively need DARK brown sugar to get that correct butterscotch taste. See the part beneath titled “A Be aware on Darkish Brown Sugar” for extra info.
- Water – The brown sugar dissolves/melts higher in water than cream. We examined this fairly a bit. Keep on with the water.
- Heavy whipping cream – Don’t attempt to use a lower-fat dairy product right here. It’ll throw off the feel of the filling and it received’t thicken correctly.
- Cornstarch – To thicken issues up.
- Complete milk – Keep on with complete milk to get the feel excellent.
- Powdered gelatin – I attempted to keep away from the gelatin, however the filling is a bit too delicate with out it. Don’t fret, although! It’s actually not that onerous to make use of. Simply stir the powder into some water, let it sit, warmth it up so it melts, and stir it into the filling. Straightforward peasy.
- Powdered sugar – The powdered sugar contributes sweetness AND construction to the whipped cream. It retains it from wilting, so don’t go away it out. Other forms of sugar received’t yield the identical outcomes.
A Be aware on Darkish Brown Sugar
Not all darkish brown sugars comprise the identical quantity of molasses. Within the photograph, you’ll see mild brown sugar on the left (for comparability), with two completely different manufacturers of darkish brown sugar subsequent to it. I examined each darkish brown sugars, and the lighter one (within the center) was positively higher. The darker sugar thinned out the filling extra and had an overwhelming molasses taste, which masked the butterscotch notes. If you could find a darkish brown sugar that’s comparable in coloration to the one within the center, do.
The right way to Make This Butterscotch Pie Recipe
Able to get to it? Right here’s a basic overview of how you can make this completely addictive pie. For extra detailed directions, see the recipe card beneath.
Make the crust
Pulse 3/4 cups of flour and the salt a few instances in a meals processor. Add the butter and course of till a crumbly dough varieties.
Add the remaining cup of flour and pulse a number of instances till every thing is evenly distributed. The doughy items ought to break up and it ought to look sandy.
Switch the dough to a bowl and blend in 2 tablespoons of the ice water. Maintain including extra water (1 tablespoon at a time) till the dough holds collectively when pinched.
Switch the dough to a chunk of parchment paper and work it right into a ball. Then, form it right into a dish, wrap it in plastic wrap, and chill within the fridge for no less than 1 hour.
Place the dough on a chunk of parchment paper, cowl with one other piece of parchment paper, and roll the dough out right into a circle.
Peel one piece of the parchment paper off, drape the crust over a pie plate, and peel the opposite piece of parchment off. Form the crust and use a fork to poke holes within the backside. Freeze the crust for 20 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line the crust with parchment paper, urgent it flush towards the crust. Fill with pie weights (or rice).
Bake for 20-25 minutes, take away the parchment paper and pie weights, and bake for 5-10 minutes.
No meals processor? No downside.
Making pie crust is SO simple with a meals processor, however you can too make this dough by hand! Simply minimize the cubed butter into the flour combination till the most important items of butter remaining are about pea-sized. Then add the water and proceed with the remainder of the directions.
Make whipped cream and end
Take away the plastic wrap from the pie when set.
Whip the heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla on excessive velocity till stiff peaks kind, then unfold on prime of pie. Add toffee bits, if utilizing.
Good Your Pie Crust
Pie crust isn’t arduous to make, however there are some issues to remember if you would like it completely flakey.
- Maintain issues chilly. Not solely do you wish to begin with COLD butter, however you wish to preserve it as chilly as attainable up till you pop the crust within the oven to par-bake (that is what provides you your flakey layers, as talked about above). So that you additionally wish to use ice-cold water.
- Don’t over-handle. The warmth out of your palms and/or over-mixing can soften the butter, so combine/deal with the dough solely as a lot as you must.
- Chill the dough. Refrigerate the dough for no less than 1 hour earlier than rolling it out to assist preserve the butter chilly.
- Dock the crust. Make sure to prick the crust with a fork earlier than blind baking. This permits steam to flee evenly, so the crust cooks evenly and doesn’t bubble up.
Ideas for Pie Success
I did SO a lot trial and error to get this pie proper. Pay shut consideration to those suggestions and methods so you possibly can too:
- Be affected person. When melting the brown sugar and warming the milk, preserve the warmth on the decrease facet, go sluggish, and be affected person. Enable the brown sugar to dissolve utterly earlier than including the milk combination to keep away from a gritty texture. Don’t let it boil.
- Whisk continuously. You’re going to be whisking rather a lot right here. From the time you begin heating the milk, via tempering the eggs and boiling the filling, preserve that whisk going. This may enable you obtain a easy, evenly cooked filling.
- Don’t over-boil. Don’t boil the filling for too lengthy on the finish. The cornstarch can begin to break down and skinny out, leading to a runny pie.
- Clear wrap hack. Press clear wrap into the filling earlier than chilling the pie. This may forestall an disagreeable movie from forming on prime.
- Don’t skip the nippiness. This pie wants 4-6 hours within the fridge earlier than serving. The filling will probably be comparatively skinny once you add it to the pie crust, however it’s going to thicken to a extra pudding-like consistency because it chills.
- Chilly heavy cream. Begin with chilly heavy cream (for the whipped cream). If it’s too heat, it received’t whip up and maintain quantity correctly.
The right way to Retailer
- Fridge. Cowl leftover pie with clear wrap, retailer in an hermetic cake service (like this one) or prepare slices in a single layer in an hermetic container. It’ll preserve within the fridge for as much as 5 days.
- Freezer. Depart the whipped cream off, wrap the whole pie in a double layer of plastic wrap, and seal it in a freezer bag. You’ll be able to retailer it within the freezer for as much as 3 months. If you’re able to get pleasure from, let the dessert thaw within the fridge, add some recent whipped cream, slice, and serve.
Extra Scrumptious Pie Recipes
Butterscotch Pie
That is the butterscotch pie of your desires. The silky, custard-like filling delivers a daring, genuine butterscotch taste that pairs completely with a buttery, flaky crust. It is pure indulgence.
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Make the crust
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NOTE: I make the crust with a meals processor as a result of it’s faster and simpler, however you can too do it by hand by including the cubed butter to the entire flour and salt and reducing the butter into the flour till it’s all mixed and the most important items of butter remaining are in regards to the measurement of peas. Then add the water and proceed with the remainder of the directions.
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Add 3/4 cup (98g) of flour and salt to a meals processor and pulse collectively 2 to three instances.
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Scatter the cubed butter over the flour and course of till a crumbly dough varieties, about 15 seconds. The flour ought to all be coated – not one of the flour needs to be dry.
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Add the remaining 1/2 cup (65g) of flour and pulse a number of instances till every thing is evenly distributed. The doughy items ought to break up and it ought to look sandy. There shouldn’t be a bunch of huge items remaining. A couple of are fantastic, however it needs to be largely evenly distributed.
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Transfer the combination to a medium mixing bowl and add 2 tablespoons of the ice water. Begin with 2 tablespoons and add from there. Utilizing a rubber spatula, gently fold every thing collectively. The crumbs ought to start to kind bigger clusters. Should you pinch a number of the dough and it holds collectively properly, it’s prepared. If the dough falls aside, add 1-2 extra tablespoons of water and proceed to press till dough comes collectively.
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Work simply sufficient for it to come back collectively, then form right into a disc. Wrap disc in plastic wrap and refrigerate for no less than an hour or as much as 2 days.
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When able to bake the crust, place the pie crust onto a chunk of parchment paper. Cowl the crust with one other piece of parchment paper and roll it out with a rolling pin.
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Peel one piece of the parchment paper off and use the opposite piece of parchment to carry the pie crust and drape it over a 9-inch pie plate. Fastidiously peel off the second piece of parchment paper, then form your pie crust. “Dock” the crust by pricking the crust with a fork to permit steam to flee evenly. This helps the crust not bubble up and prepare dinner inconsistently.
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Refrigerate the crust for 2-3 hours or freeze for about 20 minutes You wish to make certain the crust may be very chilly.
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Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C) and line the pie crust with parchment paper. Be certain the parchment paper presses all the best way towards the crust in order that it’s flush. Fill the pie crust with pie weights, dry rice or beans.
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Bake for 20-25 minutes, or till the crust simply begins to brown. Take away the parchment paper and pie weights and bake for one more 5-10 minutes, or till frivolously golden brown. Take away from the oven and put aside whilst you prepare dinner the filling.
Make the filling
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Whisk the egg yolks collectively in a big heatproof bowl till easy. Put aside.
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In a stainless saucepan, mix the brown sugar with 6 tablespoons of water. Stir with a silicone spatula whereas cooking over low to medium-low warmth till the sugar is dissolved, about quarter-hour or so. Watch out to not boil or burn it, flip down the warmth if wanted. Let it soften slowly. If there’s a bit of grittiness left, it’s okay. It’ll proceed to soften within the remaining steps.
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Take away from warmth and stir in 1/4 cup of heavy cream. Put aside.
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Add the powdered gelatin powder to the remaining one tablespoon of chilly water and stir so it’s all moistened. Put aside whereas it blooms and companies up.
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In a medium saucepan, whisk collectively the cornstarch and salt. Add half of the milk, whisking till the cornstarch is dissolved, then add the remaining milk and remaining ½ cup of heavy cream. Place over medium warmth, whisking continuously, till the milk combination is heat.
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Pour the butterscotch combination into the milk combination and proceed cooking, on medium-low to medium warmth, whisking constantly, till it simply begins to boil, about 5-7 minutes. Don’t velocity this course of up.
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Progressively pour a couple of quarter of the butterscotch combination into the egg yolks, whisking continuously, to mood the eggs. Add one other quarter of the butterscotch combination to the eggs, whisking continuously. Pour the egg combination into the saucepan with the remaining butterscotch combination.
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Deliver caramel combination to a boil over medium-low to medium warmth, whisking continuously, about 5-7 minutes. As soon as at a rolling boil, boil for about 1½ minutes. Take away from warmth and stir within the butter till it’s melted and included.
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Warmth the gelatin within the microwave for 5-10 seconds, till melted. Don’t boil. Pour the melted gelatin into the butterscotch combination and gently stir to mix.
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Pour via a mesh sieve to take away any lumps, then add to the pie crust.
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Cowl with plastic wrap and chill within the fridge for no less than 4-6 hours, or in a single day, to set.
Make whipped cream and end
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Add the heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar and vanilla extract to a big mixer bowl and whip on excessive velocity till it reaches stiff peaks.
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Take away the pie from the fridge and take away the plastic wrap. Unfold the whipped cream evenly on prime of the pie.
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To brighten, you possibly can sprinkle with some toffee bits, if desired. Refrigerate till able to serve. Pie is finest if saved coated or in an air-tight container and eaten inside 4-5 days.
Serving: 1sliceEnergy: 369kcalCarbohydrates: 54gProtein: 4.5gFats: 16.1gLdl cholesterol: 131.4mgSodium: 260.5mgSugar: 40.6g
The vitamin info offered are calculated utilizing a third-party device and are estimates solely. Precise dietary content material might differ based mostly on the substances and types you employ, in addition to portion sizes. For correct outcomes, please seek the advice of a registered dietitian or nutritionist.
