Sweet Things Remembered

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Another one of my grandma’s recipes, this pie features a butterscotch filling and is finished with a sweet, airy meringue that just melts in your mouth with each bite. It’s my favorite pie!

My grandma made a lot of pies, but of all the ones she would make, butterscotch is my favorite. There is just something that is so old-fashioned about the flavor that I love, and the way that the butter and the brown sugar come together for the filling is simply delicious. My grandma always made her butterscotch pie with a meringue topping, and it wasn’t until I was in college that I learned it can also be made with a whipped cream topping. A whipped cream topping is also tasty. I mean, who doesn’t love to eat whipped cream? I remember as a kid, though, looking at the meringue after the pie was done baking and admiring the little droplets on the top like tiny amber crystals. They were always so beautiful. When I make butterscotch pie now, I make the meringue, not just because it’s a pretty but because that’s the way my grandma did it.

Ingredients

For the crust (if you choose to make one vs using store bought):

• All-purpose flour
• Salt
• Crisco shortening– Be sure to keep it in the fridge or freezer before you use it. When making pie pastry, your fat source needs to be cold.
• Ice-cold water

For the pie filling:

• Brown sugar
• All purpose flour or cornstarch
• Salt
• Milk
• Egg yolks, slightly beaten – When you separate your yolks and whites, save the whites because you’ll use them in the meringue.
• Butter
• Vanilla

For the meringue:

• Egg whites
• Vanilla
• Cream of Tartar
• Sugar

Special Equipment

• Pie Plate – I think it goes without saying that for making a pie you need to have a pie plate. If you don’t already have one, I love my Fiesta pie plate (I have it in scarlet). I also have a couple Pyrex pie plates that I use often.
• Pastry Blender – This tool is used when making the pie pastry. If you don’t have one, you can use a fork. I have also seen people make pie dough in the food processor, so that’s also an option if you have one! I use a fork.
• Mixer (optional) – As I state in many of my posts, it will be easier if you have a stand mixer or an electric hand mixer. With this recipe, the meringue has to be whipped. It can be done by hand, but it is a lot harder to do.

How to Make Butterscotch Pie

Step 1: Make the Pie Crust

If you prefer, you can absolutely buy a pre-made pie crust from the grocery. I have tried both with this recipe and the pie is delicious either way. You will just need to bake one crust according to the package. If you are making a crust, I want to mention that this pie crust recipe is the same recipe that is on the Crisco package. My grandma swore by it as the easiest pie crust to make. If you have a different pie pastry recipe you love, use that instead.

This recipe makes two crusts. Keep in mind that the filling and meringue recipes provided here are for one pie, so you can either double those recipes for two pies, or use the second pie crust for something else.

• In a bowl, stir together 1 tsp of salt and 2 cups of flour.
• Using a pastry blender or fork, chop in 3/4 cup of cold Crisco until the shortening is formed into pea-sized lumps.
• Next, add up to 8 tbsp of ice-cold water to the pastry, 1 tbsp at a time, mixing until a ball forms.
• Divide the dough in two balls, and then flatten them into 1/2 inch thick disks. Note – These can be wrapped in plastic wrap and refrigerated for up to two days if you want to make the pastry ahead of time.
• Roll one disk out on a floured surface, rolling from the center out, into about a 9-10 inch circle, and then transfer to a pie plate. Trim any excess dough, and then crimp the edges.
• Bake at 425° until browned (18-20 minutes), and let it cool.

Step 2: Make the Pudding

• Before beginning your pudding, separate the egg yolks and whites into two different bowl. The yolks will be used in the pudding and the whites will be used in the meringue. Doing this will make sure you have the yolks ready to go because you will not be able to stop in the middle of making the pudding to separate them.
• In a thick-bottomed pan, stir together 3/4 cup brown sugar, 1/3 cup of flour (or 3 tbsp cornstarch), and 1/4 tsp salt.
• Stir in 2 cups of milk and cook over medium heat, stirring continually until it is bubbly and thickened.
• In a separate bowl, slightly beat 3 egg yolks. Add a small amount of the heated pudding mixture to the egg yolks, stirring quickly. Do this two more times. This warms up the egg yolks so they blend into the pudding without lumping up.
• Add the egg and pudding mixture back into the pan. Stir the pudding until thickened and cook a a minute or two before removing it from the heat.
• Once off the heat, add in 3 tbsp of butter and 1 tsp of vanilla. Stir until fully combined. Tip – use a lid (or dinner plate as my grandma noted on her hand-written recipe) to cover the pan and keep the pudding from forming a skin while you make the meringue.

Step 3: Make the Meringue

• In a mixing bowl, beat 3 egg whites on medium speed. At the beginning of mixing, add 1/2 tsp vanilla and 1/4 tsp cream of tartar. Note – make sure you are using the whisk attachment, not the paddle. The whisk will add air into the mixture, which you need for your meringue.
• Increase the speed of the mixer to high and spoon in sugar 1 tbsp at a time until 6 tbsp total are added.
• Beat until stiff peaks form (about 2-3 minutes). This means the meringue doesn’t bend over when the mixer whisk is lifted.

Step 4: Assemble the Pie and Bake

• Spread the pudding into the prepared pie crust.
• Add the meringue on top, spreading it out all the way to the edge of the crust. This will prevent stretching and weeping.
• Bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes until the meringue is browned evenly to your liking.
• Let the pie cool and enjoy!