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butterscotch pie on a white plate.

Old-Fashioned Butterscotch Pie with Meringue

This old-fashioned butterscotch pie combines a rich brown sugar flavor with a buttery, flaky crust and a light, fluffy meringue topping. The brown sugar custard is cooked on the stove, then poured into a prebaked crust. Then, it's topped with homemade meringue and baked in the oven for 10 minutes until the meringue is golden.
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 8
Calories 276kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 prebaked pie crust
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • cup flour
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 2 cups whole milk
  • 3 eggs room temp
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 2 1/2 teaspoon vanilla divided
  • ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
  • ½ cup white sugar

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 400º. Line a pie crust with parchment paper and add pie weights or dried beans. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove the pie weights and bake an additional 15 minutes until golden brown. Allow to cool. Turn the oven down to 350º.
  • In a medium saucepan, whisk the brown sugar, flour, and salt together. Slowly whisk in the milk. Place over medium heat and cook, whisking constantly until thick and bubbly, about 3-5 minutes. Reduce to low and continue to cook for 2 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat.
  • Separate the eggs, reserving the whites for the meringue. Place the yolks in a measuring cup or glass bowl and beat with a fork. Add about a half of a cup of the hot milk mixture a tablespoon at a time to the egg yolk until it is warm. Then slowly add the egg mixture to the milk mixture in the saucepan, whisking until incorporated, Return to low heat and cook for another 2 minutes until it is creamy and smooth. Remove from the heat and add butter and 2 teaspoons of vanilla. Pour into the cooled pie crust.

Meringue

  • Beat the egg whites with an electric mixer on high for 1-2 minutes until soft peaks form. Add cream of tartar and ½ teaspoon vanilla, mix to combine. With the mixer on high, slowly add the sugar and beat until stiff peaks form and it is shiny, about 2 minutes.
  • Spoon the meringue over the pie filling pushing it to the edges to seal. Bake until the meringue is browned, 10-12 minutes. Let cool at room temperature for at least 3 hours to set before slicing.

Notes

  • Best served at room temperature
  • You can use whipped cream instead of meringue. 
  • You can try a nut or cookie crust instead of a traditional one. 
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