Butterscotch Pie has a richly flavored butterscotch filling, with a texture like a Southern chess pie, encased in a flaky pie shell. Served topped with whipped cream, this mini butterscotch pie delivers big flavor!
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Why this recipe works
- The filling has deep butterscotch flavor with a texture like a set custard
- Use a homemade or store bought pie crust
- Make a mini pie, or double the ingredients for a full-sized pie
I love Pi Day (March 14th, or 3/14), a day fully created to make my math tutor/chef’s heart skip a beat. Not to bring back nightmares from Geometry, but pi ( ∏ ), an irrational number representing the ratio between the circumference and diameter of a circle, is 3.14159…). This is definitely a day for Math nerds.
I, of course, also love pie, and math plays a part in that, too. To adjust a recipe from a full-sized pie in a 9-inch pie pan to a mini pie in a 7-inch pie pan, just divide the recipe ingredient amounts in half.
What better way to demonstrate this than with a homemade Butterscotch Pie? The recipe scales easily, and a mini butterscotch pie is a perfect size for two to share.
The texture of the butterscotch pie filling is firmer than butterscotch pudding, more like the set custard of a Southern chess pie. And there's no fussing with separating eggs when making a custard, like Créme Brûlée.
Butterscotch Pie is quite delicious, with the rich flavor of butterscotch pudding just set more firmly. Think buttery caramel combined with undertones of molasses. Whipped cream adds to the creaminess, and the whole thing is complemented by the flaky pie crust.
When you want a pie with big flavor, that serves a small party without too much leftover, a mini pie does the job nicely. This mini butterscotch pie celebrates Pi Day well, with pie and math!
p.s. We lost Dr. Stephen Hawking, that eminent astrophysicist, on Pi Day, 2018. Hobbled in body, Dr. Hawking's mind soared in the universe using math as his spaceship. I think Pi Day is a fitting day to celebrate his life, don't you?
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My family and I LOVE pie. I want to be able to bake new pies more often, but without the guilt of eating leftover pie for days. I recently inherited 7-inch pie pans, so I'll be able to make my dreams come true. Thanks for doing the conversion work for me!
- Nicole
Recipe Ingredients
You'll need the following ingredients to make this butterscotch pie recipe:
Ingredient Notes
This easy butterscotch pie recipe uses basic ingredients: butter, brown sugar, salt, heavy cream, eggs, and vanilla extract.
Brown Sugar: You can use either light or dark brown sugar. Dark brown sugar will provide a deeper molasses flavor, while light brown sugar will be less intense.
Pie crust: You can make a homemade pie crust (I prefer my flaky all butter pie crust) or use a store-bought crust.
See the recipe card for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
How to scale your pie crust to fit the pan
When making a homemade pie crust, you want to make enough to fill the pan, but not have too much left over. Being able to scale the recipe to minimize waste is nice, and that's why I like to use the recipe ratio for pie crusts.
In a nutshell, a pie crust has a 3 : 2 : 1 ratio of flour : fat : liquid (by weight - a kitchen scale is helpful here). So for a single 9-inch pie, you'd use a 9 : 6 : 3 ratio, or 9 ounces of flour, 6 ounces of your preferred fat, and 3 ounces of cold water.
For a 7-inch pie pan, you'd use a 6 : 4 : 2 recipe ratio (half of a double pie crust). This makes enough dough for the smaller pie pan without too much waste left over.
If you want to see the conversion from these weight measurements to volume measurements, head to my pie crust recipe and scale it to your needs.
How to make butterscotch pie
A butterscotch pie recipe has two major parts, making the crust and making the filling, and they're done almost concurrently.
Step 1: Prepare the pie crust
Prepare a half recipe for a double pie crust. Roll the dough out to a 12-inch circle, about ⅛- to ¼-inch thick. Ease the dough into a 7-inch pie pan, and trim the edges to about ½-inch.
Fold the overhang under and crimp decoratively. Save any scraps in the fridge, just in case you need to patch any holes later. Dock the bottom of the pie shell with a fork (photo 1).
To par-bake the crust, spray a piece of foil with baking spray (or butter it well), and press tightly into the pie pan, covering the dough and wrapping it around the rim to fit the sides of the pie pan. Freeze the wrapped crust for 15 minutes, then bake the frozen pie shell for 20 minutes (photo 2).
This method is easier than using beans, rice, or other pie weights, especially for a smaller 7-inch pie shell. However, feel free to use whatever method suits you.
Step 2: Make the filling
In a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan, melt the butter over Medium heat. Add the brown sugar and salt. Cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture is fully combined and starting to bubble, about 2 to 3 minutes.
Stir in the heavy cream, lifting off the heat if necessary to keep the butterscotch from bubbling over. Remove the pan from the heat and let the mixture cool for 15 minutes (photo 3).
Whisk in the eggs into the cooled filling, one at a time, then add the vanilla (photo 4). Set the filling aside while the shell is par-baking.
Step 3: Bake the pie
Remove the par-baked pie crust from the oven and take off the foil. If any parts of the shell have puffed up, just press them gently back into place. Patch any tears or cracks with reserved dough scraps.
Pour the pie filling into the hot pie shell and return the pan to the oven.
Bake the pie for 10 minutes at 400°F, then reduce the heat to 300°F and bake for another 20 to 25 minutes or until the pie jiggles slightly in the center when moved. Transfer the pie to a wire cooling rack and cool completely (photo 5).
Serve chilled or at room temperature with lightly sweetened whipped cream.
Storage instructions
Butterscotch pie can be stored in the refrigerator, covered tightly, for about a week.
Yield Notes
A mini butterscotch is rich and flavorful, so for us it makes 6 slices. Your yield may vary.
For a full-sized pie, double the recipe filling ingredients. Prepare a single pie crust (using the 9 : 6 : 3 recipe ratio), and use a 9-inch pie pan. Bake the filled pie for 10 minutes at 400°F, and then reduce heat to 300°F and bake for 25 to 30 minutes longer.
Judge how thick to roll out pie dough
The best way to roll out pie dough is to use even pressure and roll out from the center in all four compass directions, north, south, east and west. Turn and loosen the dough occasionally as you continue to roll the pastry out into a circle about 2-inches larger than your pie pan (unless, like me, you sometimes end up with a blob-shape).
A good thickness starting point is approximately ¼-inch thickness for a full-sized pie, about the height of two stacked quarters. For a mini pie, rolling the dough a little thinner is preferable to keep it in proportion to the smaller amount of filling, about ⅛- to ¼-inch thick.
Questions asked and answered
Here are some questions that you might have...
Making butterscotch is essentially cooking butter and brown sugar together, then adding in heavy cream. The filling for butterscotch pie is just a butterscotch sauce recipe that's set with eggs. If you were to omit the eggs, you'd have a delicious sauce to pour over ice cream!
Caramel sauce is made by cooking granulated sugar, then adding cream, butter, and flavoring. Butterscotch sauce is similar, but it's made with brown sugar instead, giving a deeper toffee flavor from the molasses. Also, with butterscotch, the brown sugar is cooked in melted butter rather than adding it at the end.
I hope you like this recipe! Let me know if you have any questions, and don't forget to leave a comment and rating. Thanks!
Slainté! L’chaim! Cheers!
- Tammy
More pie, tart, & cobbler recipes to try
Recipe
Butterscotch Pie
Equipment
Ingredients
For the crust
- ½ recipe double pie crust, homemade or store bought, see Recipe Notes
For the filling
- ¼ cup unsalted butter
- ¾ cup brown sugar, light or dark, see Recipe Notes
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ⅓ cup heavy cream
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- whipped cream, lightly sweetened, for garnish
Instructions
- Heat oven to 400 °F.
- Make the pie shell: Prepare a half recipe for a double pie crust (see Recipe Notes). Roll the dough out to a 12-inch circle, about ⅛- to ¼-inch thick. Ease the dough into the pie pan, and trim the edges to about ½-inch.
- Fold the overhang under and crimp decoratively. Save any scraps in the fridge, just in case you need to patch any holes later. Dock the bottom of the pie shell with a fork.
- To par-bake the crust, spray a piece of foil with baking spray (or butter it well), and press tightly into the pie pan, covering the dough and wrapping it around the rim to fit the sides of the pie pan. Freeze the wrapped crust for 15 minutes, then bake the frozen pie shell for 20 minutes.
- Make the filling: In a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan, melt the butter over Medium heat. Add the brown sugar and salt. Cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture is fully combined and starting to bubble, about 2 to 3 minutes.
- Stir in the heavy cream, lifting off the heat if necessary to keep the butterscotch from bubbling over. Remove the pan from the heat and let the mixture cool for 15 minutes.
- Whisk in the eggs into the cooled filling, one at a time, then add the vanilla. Set the filling aside while the shell is par-baking.
- Remove the par-baked pie crust from the oven and take off the foil. If any parts of the shell have puffed up, just press them gently back into place. Patch any tears or cracks with reserved dough scraps.
- Pour the pie filling into the hot pie shell and return the pan to the oven.
- Serve chilled or at room temperature with lightly sweetened whipped cream.
- Storage instructions: Butterscotch pie can be stored in the refrigerator, covered tightly, for about a week.
- A mini butterscotch is rich and flavorful, so for us it makes 6 slices. Your yield may vary.
Nicole says
My family and I LOVE pie. I want to be able to bake new pies more often, but without the guilt of eating leftover pie for days. I recently inherited 7-inch pie pans, so I'll be able to make my dreams come true. Thanks for doing the conversion work for me!
Tammy Spencer says
Happy (pie) baking, Nicole! 😉