Butterscotch pie recipe

Butterscotch Pie Recipe

This lovely butterscotch pie recipe is delicious anytime of year!

Not to mention it is a charming partner to pumpkin and apple pies during the holidays. Cream pies are a unique and fairly easy class of pies to make, with options ranging from coconut cream to chocolate cream to butterscotch and beyond. Once you’ve tried and successfully made this butterscotch pie recipe, you will never want to buy a pie again!

This pie costs about $2-3, and only about an hour to make, and that’s including the pie shell (click here for the pie crust recipe). The best part is that you are in control of the ingredients and have no need for preservatives or junky ingredients like hydrogenated oils that are common to commercially produced pies. Try using organic milk and eggs for both the best flavor and nutrition.

Cornstarch is normally a key ingredient in any cream pie, but it is also an ingredient that I try to avoid, as it likely contains genetically modified (GM) corn, which I frankly find to be repulsive. Instead, it calls for gelatin.* You’ll notice that this recipe also calls for cane sugar, as regular “sugar” is also likely to contain GM traits as it is largely derived from GM sugar beets.

But enough about the politics of food, let’s get baking. You’ll notice there are several variations to this pie recipe, so it’s actually like 4 recipes in one!  My sweetie and I prefer the butterscotch latte version with a meringue topping. Here’s the recipe:

Yield: 1 Pie, using 9″ Pyrex pan

Crust: Gingersnap Crumb Crust or Mealy Baked Pie Shell

Butterscotch Cream:

  • 2 ½ c Whole Milk
  • 1 ½ c Brown Cane Sugar
  • 4 Eggs,  Yolks only if doing meringue or chiffon
  • 1 1/2 tsp gelatin*
  • 1 Tbsp Water
  • 2.5 oz Butter
  • 1 Tbsp Pure Vanilla Extract
  • ½ tsp Salt (Yes, I’m serious!)

 

Meringue Topping Option:

  • 4 Egg Whites
  • ⅓ c Cane Sugar

 

Butterscotch Latte Variation:

  • 1-3 tsp Instant Coffee

 

Chiffon Version:

  • 1 pack gelatin*
  • 4 Egg Whites
  • ⅛ c Cane Sugar
Mise en Place:

  • Small Glass or Metal  Mixing Bowl
  • Whisk
  • Medium Saucepan
  • Medium Saute Pan
  • Dip Bowl or Small Souffle Cup
  • Soft Spatula

 

Optional:

  • Beaters (for meringue or chiffon option)
  1. Put the brown sugar and butter in the saute pan. Heat over medium low heat until the butter melts. Stir together and stir periodically until it bubbles for a couple of minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool a bit.
  2. Meanwhile, pour the milk into your saucepan and heat over medium-low heat.
  3. Then add 1 tablespoon of water to the small dip bowl. Sprinkle the gelatin over the water.
  4. Put the egg into the small mixing bowl and whip until uniformly yellow.
  5. When the milk starts to bubble, temper it into the eggs. To do this, pour the milk in a slow stream into the eggs while whisking vigorously. Continue to pour slowly until all the milk is mixed with the eggs. (For a demo on tempering, watch episode #30 – and pay attention to how I make the strawberry partfaits)
  6. Next whisk in the butter-brown sugar mix, gelatin, vanilla, and salt. Whisk vigorously until the filling is uniformly colored. Taste it to ensure a balance of flavors.
  7. Pour the cream into your pie shell. Cover with plastic wrap so the filling is in full contact with the plastic and chill completely.
For the butterscotch latte version:

Add 1 teaspoon instant coffee to the eggs in step 4. Before pouring the cream into the pie shell, taste to see if the coffee flavor is strong enough. Add more if needed.

For the chiffon pie version:

Separate the egg whites while you are measuring ingredients, and use a full pack of gelatin instead of 1 tsp. Use the egg yolks in the cream filling and follow the directions to step 6. Instead of pouring the filling into a pie shell, transfer it to a large mixing bowl and allow it to cool until it is only warm.

While it cools, beat the egg whites to medium peaks and then slowly drizzle in the sugar while continuing to beat. Fold the whites into the cream filling until smooth and uniform, then pour the entire mix into the pie shell. Cover it with plastic wrap and chill completely.

For the meringue-topped version:

Separate the egg whites while you are measuring ingredients. Use the egg yolks in the cream filling and follow the directions through step 7. Once the pie is chilled, preheat the oven to 400°F. Beat the egg whites to medium peaks and then slowly beat in the sugar, until they are shiny and form stiff peaks. Spoon the meringue into the center of the pie. Bake for about 5 minutes or until lightly browned.

*Traditionally cream pies use cornstarch to thicken, but since all corn products are likely to contain GMOs, this recipe does not use it. Instead, gelatin is used, which opens up the possibility of making a chiffon pie. Please note that gelatin is derived from livestock, so don’t feed this pie to a vegetarian.

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