Happy Pi Day! When planning this recipe, I didn’t even realize that I was going to publish it on 3.14. What a happy accident!
I have never in my life had a butterscotch pie before and I can’t remember exactly why I started thinking about one. But once it got into my head I couldn’t get it back out, and so this pie was born.
I wanted to try this pie the old-fashioned way, starting with little more than melted brown sugar and butter that is thickened with a little flour, egg yolks, milk, and a splash of vanilla. The result is a silky smooth filling with a “grown-up” butterscotch flavor that’s a far cry from artificial canned butterscotch sauce.
Traditionally, butterscotch pie is served with a mountain of toasted meringue on top, but I don’t really like that type of meringue, so I opted to make some homemade whipped cream flavored with a little Bailey’s Irish Cream. Talk about yum.
Though if you’re wondering what to do with all of those leftover egg whites and you don’t want to waste them, just pop them into the fridge and whip up a healthy egg-white omelet the next morning. It’ll help dissuade some of the guilt after indulging in this rich dessert. Enjoy!
| Butterscotch Pie with Bailey's Irish Whipped Cream | Print |
- For the crust:
- Half recipe of Julia's Pate Brisee, baked and cooled.
- For the pie filling:
- 6 TBS cold unsalted butter
- 1½ cups light brown sugar, firmly packed
- 6 TBS all-purpose flour
- 3 cups whole milk
- 5 large egg yolks
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 pinch salt
- For whipped cream:
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 2 TBS powdered sugar or fine grain sugar
- 2 TBS Bailey's Irish Cream or similar.
- For the pie filling:
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- In a saucepan over medium-low heat, stir together brown sugar and butter until the sugar dissolves and the butter melts. Continue cooking for an additional few minutes and remove the saucepan from the heat.
- In a small bowl, lightly beat the egg yolks.
- In another bowl, whisk the flour with 1.5 cups of the milk until fully incorporated, then add the egg yolks and salt and mix together well. Add the remaining 1.5 cups of milk and mix well.
- Add the flour mixture to the saucepan with the melted butter and sugar and cook on medium-low heat until the mixture thickens and resembles pudding. Stir frequently and be patient - this process can take 30-45 minutes.
- Once thickened, remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract. Allow to cool for 5-7 minutes while continuing to stir frequently to prevent lumps.
- Pour pie filling into prepared pie crust and bake for 8-10 minutes or until filling is set. It will still jiggle when shaken but will be tacky to the touch.
- For whipped cream:
- With a hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment, beat heavy whipping cream on medium speed until it starts to become light and frothy.
- Slowly add powdered sugar and Irish cream. Continue beating on high until stiff peaks form.
The whipped cream recipe will make quite a bit more than is shown in the photos - I just wanted to pipe a simple border and keep the rest off to the side to pile on top as desired.
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Mmmmm…looks so creamy and rich and delish! Love that you used Julia’s pie crust recipe! Isn’t it the best??