Skip to main content
Dessert

Butterscotch Pie

A pie filling made from butter, sugar, water, cornstarch, egg yolks, and milk, poured into a baked shell.

From the Recipes Wiki (Fandom) · 6 ingredients
Jump to recipe ↓

Why it works: Butter and milk are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 81,283 recipes. Both carry (z)-4-heptenal, which smells biscuit, cream. The science ↓

Butterscotch Pie

Ingredients

Directions

Make the filling

  1. Brown butter in pan.

  2. Add sugar and cook together, stirring constantly, until sugar is melted.

  3. Add water.

  4. Stir slowly and cook until sugar is again dissolved.

  5. Combine cornstarch, egg yolks and milk.

  6. Add the mixture to the sugar mixture.

  7. Cook until thickened.

Assemble

  1. Pour into baked pie shell.

  2. Top with cream.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

833Calories
27 gProtein
26 gFat
120 gCarbs

Counts 5 of 6 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 5 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Flour1 cup (125g) all-purpose455
Milk1 cup (244ml) whole149
Butter1 tbsp (14g)102
Egg1 large egg (50g)78
Sugar1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated49
Waternot in our table0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Butter + milktop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together81,283 recipes

    Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).

  2. Butter + eggtop 17% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together118,967 recipes

    Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).

  3. Butter + sugartop 17% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together98,233 recipes

    Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).

  4. Egg + milktop 18% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together88,785 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).

  5. Sugar + milktop 18% of all pairs
    Smell alikelow
    Cooked together77,875 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).

Sugar and milk barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 77,875 recipes: they work on texture and structure more than aroma.

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Unsalted butter
Browned butter adds a nutty, toasted aroma and rich flavor to the filling.
Brown sugar
Sweetens the filling and, once melted and cooked, gives the pie its butterscotch flavor.
Cornstarch
Thickens the filling as it cooks, giving it a sliceable, custard-like body.
Egg yolks
Enrich and help set the filling, adding richness and body as it thickens.
Milk
Provides the liquid base of the custard and adds creaminess and softness.

The step that matters

Cook until thickened. Cornstarch needs to reach a full boil to reach its maximum thickening power, and the egg yolks must be heated enough to set without scrambling. Stir constantly so the starch does not scorch or clump at the bottom of the pan.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

You might also like

White CakeWhite Cake431 recipesPound CakePound Cake373 recipesOrange Bundt CakeOrange Bundt Cake349 recipesSpice CakeSpice Cake344 recipes