The rich buttery brown sugar flavors mixed into a creamy homemade butterscotch pudding nestled in a flaky pastry crust. This Butterscotch Cinnamon pie recipe is Heavenly!
Read through all the instructions, this pie is best made a day ahead of time, as it needs a good long while to chill before slicing for best results. Preheat oven to pie shell directed temperature.
Roll out and bake the pie shell (or pre-bake a store bought pie shell) into a 9” pie plate, fluting the edges or pressing with the tines of a fork. Using a fork, poke holes in the unbaked pie shell all over (including sides) to prevent shrinking and bubbling, or use pie weights or dried beans. Place a piece of parchment paper between the pie crust and the pie weights.Bake pie according to package or recipe directions, allow to cool while you make the pudding, doesn’t need to be fully cooled. I let mine cool on the counter for 10 minutes, then placed in the fridge.
In a medium saucepan stir together the brown sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, nutmeg if using and salt. Stir gently so you don’t poof your cornstarch all over your kitchen.
Add milk, heavy cream, and egg yolks and whisk to combine it with dry ingredients over medium heat. Stirring or constantly whisking, cook until the egg mixture thickens and bubbles. Then cook an additional minute *for High Altitude see tips below. It will take about 3-5 minutes for the hot liquid to reduce and come to a simmer.
Remove it from the heat and stir in the butter and the vanilla bean paste or extract. Stir until the butter is melted and the cream mixture becomes like smooth brown butter. Then pour the mixture into the cooled pie shell and if desired, place a piece of plastic wrap over the top. This will prevent a skin from forming, but is optional -- placing plastic will create some "wrinkles" on the pie, so if you don't want those, do not use plastic wrap.
Place the pie in the fridge for at least 6 hours or overnight for best results. It may be served sooner, but note that your pie will probably “fall apart” while serving. You’ll wish you had waited, though the taste is the same!
When you’re ready to serve, make the cinnamon whipped cream. Use the bowl of a stand mixer or a hand mixer with a whisk attachment. Beat the whipped cream at medium-high speed until soft peaks start forming. Add powdered sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla extract, and continue beating until thick and stiff peaks form.
Take out the pie from the refrigerator and remove the plastic wrap. You can either serve slices of pie with a dollop of whipped cream on each or spread the whipped cream over the top of the pie, slice, and serve with a sprinkle of cinnamon and nutmeg. Serve with whipped cream, ice cream or plain.
Notes
The warm spicy flavor of cinnamon and nutmeg are excellent for the fall and mixed with the warm rich flavor of butterscotch; it’s delicious. That being said, this butterscotch pudding pie is just as delicious without the cinnamon and nutmeg, if you prefer.
I prefer using less corn starch in my baking. However, if you like a cleaner slicing pie, use the larger amount of cornstarch (⅓ cup) to help it firm up a bit more.
This is the perfect pie for the fall and Thanksgiving. It’s easy to make a day in advance and take it out when you’re ready.
This recipe is best when using at least whole milk, if you use lower % of milk you will end up with a watery filling, so keep that in mind.
Toss some butterscotch chips on your pie crust when it first comes out of the oven for a butterscotch overload, or sprinkle some on top.
Gluten-Free Butterscotch Cinnamon Pie Recipe | Substitute your favorite gluten-free pie crust for the regular pie crust, the butterscotch pudding is naturally gluten-free.
As mentioned before, leave the cinnamon out of the butterscotch pudding mixture if desired.
Store this Butterscotch Cinnamon Pie in the refrigerator for 3-5 days. It’s meant to be served cold straight out of the fridge, not room temperature. I wouldn’t recommend freezing a custard pie.
High Altitude Instructions
No major adjustments for high altitude; however since things come to a boil quicker at higher altitudes you may need to cook the butterscotch pudding mixture a little longer.
Just make sure that the pudding is nice and thick before removing from heat, but do not overcook.
USE THE EGG WHITES! Make an egg white omelet, this amazing Whiskey Sour or make a meringue instead of the whipped cream. See how to below!
Beat the egg whites in a cool, clean small bowl until it’s stiff (high speed is best).
Add ¼ cup sugar and one teaspoon cream of tartar to the beaten egg whites and whip until the meringue is shiny.
Spoon the meringue over the top of the pie and bake for 10 minutes in a 350-degree oven or until the top is golden brown. Then allow the pie to cool and set up for one hour.