Bourbon Butterscotch Pie

This Bourbon Butterscotch Pie will become a new tradition at holiday meals. A rich butterscotch pudding pie with a kick of bourbon flavor in a simple shortbread crust is a treat your friends and family will love!

This from scratch Bourbon Butterscotch Pie is quick and easy to make. While you could opt to use a store-bought crust, I used a shortbread crust that comes together in just minutes that you press into a pie pan. I loved how the buttery shortbread crust complimented the butterscotch. Since I have a thing for adding bourbon to desserts, I couldn’t resist adding a touch of bourbon to the butterscotch. The bourbon adds a hint of extra flavor to the butterscotch pudding pie filling. Then I topped with pie with a simple vanilla whipped cream.

I created this pie recipe with Thanksgiving in mind and I think that butterscotch is a more unique fall flavor. My friends are huge fans of pie, and they prefer pie over cake, which got me thinking that Thanksgiving is really the only holiday where pie takes center stage. At Thanksgiving in Maine my family always serves at least three pies for dessert: an apple pie, a pumpkin pie, and a sweet pie like a chocolate.

While I considered making my Mom’s chocolate pie, it has uncooked egg whites and since one of my dinner guests  is pregnant, I thought a Bourbon Butterscotch Pie would be a fitting alternative (the pie filling is boiled and the Bourbon cooks out).

If you want to mix things up a little you could add a layer of melted chocolate over the pie crust before you add the butterscotch pudding.

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Bourbon Butterscotch Pie

This Bourbon Butterscotch Pie will become a new tradition at holiday meals. A rich butterscotch pudding pie with a kick of bourbon flavor in a simple shortbread crust is a treat your friends and family will love!

Prep Time 3 hours 30 minutes

Total Time 3 hours 30 minutes

Servings 8

Author Kit Graham

Ingredients

• No Roll Shortbread Pie Crust:
• 3/4 cup of Unsalted Butter 1 1/2 sticks
• 1/4 cup Granulated Sugar
• 1 tablespoon Powdered Sugar
• 2 cups All Purpose Flour
• and a 10 inch pie pan
• Bourbon Butterscotch Filling:
• 2/3 cup packed Brown Sugar I used light brown
• 2 tablespoons Corn Starch
• a pinch of Salt
• 1 1/2 cups Half and Half
• 2 large Egg Yolks
• 3 tablespoons Bourbon such as Four Roses
• 3 tablespoons Unsalted Butter
• 2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
• Vanilla Whipped Cream:
• 8 ounces Heavy Whipping Cream
• 2 tablespoons Powdered Sugar
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

Instructions

1. Start by preparing the pie crust. Heat your oven to 350 degrees. Melt butter in saucepan. Once the butter has melted, remove from heat and add both sugars and stir to combine. Then stir in flour. Let the dough cool 15 minutes, then press dough onto bottom and up the sides of a 10 inch pie pan. Bake for 15 minutes or until lightly browned.
2. Next prepare the bourbon butterscotch pudding filling. In a medium saucepan, whisk the brown sugar and cornstarch together, breaking up and any clumps. Then add the salt and 1/2 cup of the half and half. Turn the burner on to medium low, and whisk in the remaining half and half and the egg yolks. Whisk frequently, until the mixture begins to bubble.
3. Once the pudding starts to bubble, add the bourbon, and whisk to combine. Continue whisking as the mixture thickens, for about 3 minutes. At this point the pudding should have a thick consistency.
4. Remove the saucepan from the heat, and whisk in the butter and vanilla.
5. Pour the butterscotch pudding into the pie crust, and refrigerate for at least 3 hours before serving.
6. While the pie chills, make the vanilla whipped cream. Whip the cream, sugar, and vanilla together in a stand mixer on medium speed until soft peaks form. Place in a container in the fridge to cool.
7. Just before serving, top the pie with the whipped cream, add a dusting of chocolate if you like. (I did this for the photos).

Filling adapted from Food & Wine