Butterscotch Pie

Happy Pi Day! Truly, I was not aware there was a Pi Day until last year. I had a class of students who was obsessed with pie. One girl would come into class and randomly state, "I like pie." She did this frequently throughout the school year. You can imagine how excited she was on Pi Day.


I was never a fan of butterscotch until I tried this pie. Now, it is one of my favorite pies ever. This is not the overly sweet butterscotch flavor like in commercial pudding or those yellow candies. This is rich and buttery without being too cloying. I had a slice for breakfast this morning. Hope you all get to celebrate Pi Day today!


Butterscotch Pie

adapted from Cuisine At Home, December 2010

1 baked pie shell

1 ½ c whole milk
6 Tbs cornstarch
½ tsp table salt
10 Tbs unsalted butter
1 ½ c packed dark brown sugar
¼ c golden syrup
¼ c boiling water
4 egg yolks
1 tsp vanilla extract

1 ½ c heavy cream
⅓ c powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
½ c toffee bits


Whisk milk, cornstarch, and salt in a medium bowl to form a slurry. Set aside

Heat butter in a large saucepan over medium heat until browned, about 10 minutes. Whisk in brown sugar and golden syrup and heat to boiling. Add water, and whisk until smooth. Give the slurry another stir to recombine the milk and cornstarch. Slowly pour the slurry into the butter mixture, whisking constantly. Still whisking, cook the mixture over medium-high heat until it comes to a boil and thickens considerably. Remove from heat.

Place egg yolks in a small bowl. Temper them by slowly drizzling in about 1 c of the butterscotch, whisking constantly. Return the tempered egg mixture to the rest of the butterscotch and stir to combine. Simmer filling for another minute to thicken and remove from heat.

Stir in the vanilla. Pour filling into prepared pie crust. Place a piece of plastic wrap against the surface to keep a skin from forming. Chill at least 6 hours, or overnight.

For the topping: beat heavy cream in a bowl with a hand mixer until soft peaks form. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla and continue beating, until light and fluffy. Top pie with whipped cream and toffee bits.