A butterscotch apple pie made with a flaky all butter pie crust and layers of apple compote, butterscotch pudding, and whipped cream. The best.
Butterscotch Apple Pie

Allow me to introduce you to the only thing better than a classic homemade apple pie:

BUTTERSCOTCH APPLE PIE. 

Made with layers of homemade apple pie filling, the creamiest dreamiest butterscotch pudding, and fluffy piles of whipped cream. Yes, this is real life.

Butterscotch Apple Pie

This was our quarantine holiday dessert last year and possibly the only good thing about not having a big family celebration was that I didn’t have to share this pie.

Well, my husband insisted on trying a slice but the rest was ALL MINE.

Some may say this kind of attitude is not in the holiday spirit, but I would argue that it was my gift to myself and us moms need all the self care we can get, am I right??

Butterscotch Apple Pie

This pie comes (of course) from the eternally magical cookbook “The Book On Pie” by Erin McDowell.

I swear every time I flip through it, I discover a new pie I need to make immediately. There is just so much good pie-baking information within its pages, from crusts to fillings to decor and toppings.

It really covers everything you need to bake a great pie, and then some.

Butterscotch Apple Pie

Now, before you skim down to the recipe instructions and have a panic attack at the seemingly long list, I need you to take a deep breath.

Yes, there are a lot of components here but they are all fairly easy and almost all of them can (and should!) be made ahead of time.

First, there’s the pie crust. This is a from-scratch all butter crust that turns out perfectly flaky and crisp every time. I always start off any pie baking endeavor by prepping my crust well before I intend to bake it. This ensures sufficient chilling time in the fridge as well as my sanity when it comes time to bake. 

In addition to the usual chilling steps, this crust is parbaked meaning that the empty crust is baked until about halfway done before filling. This step ensures a crisp and never soggy crust, which is especially helpful when your filling is on the wetter side. 

Butterscotch Apple Pie

While your crust is parbaking, I would recommend preparing the apple filling because this will need to cook and cool before it is added to the pie crust.

The filling is a simple apple compote that is made on the stovetop. The apples are cooked only briefly in a mixture of brown sugar, spices, butter, and flour just to get the cooking process started and tenderize them slightly. 

After cooking, they need to cool completely and then they can be poured into the prepared pie crust for their final bake. 

While the apple-filled pie is cooling, it will be time to prepare the butterscotch pudding! Butterscotch is essentially a caramel made with brown instead of white sugar. This pudding is also made on the stovetop and comes together pretty quickly. Make sure to use dark brown sugar and not light for the deepest, most sultry flavor.

Pour the cooked butterscotch pudding over the apple layer in your pie and let it cool in the fridge overnight so that it has sufficient time to set up.

Finally, make your whipped cream and spoon it on top of the pie just before serving!

Butterscotch Apple Pie

There is something really magical about the layers of flavor here and the creamy, cool butterscotch pudding pairs perfectly with the crisp sweetness of the apple filling.

Each bite is pie perfection and I certainly hope you’ll try it and love it as much as I do.

Butterscotch Apple Pie

Butterscotch Apple Pie
 
A butterscotch apple pie made with a flaky all butter pie crust and layers of apple compote, butterscotch pudding, and whipped cream. The best.
Yield: 8 servings
Ingredients
For the crust
  • 1.75 cups + 2 tbsp (225 g) all purpose flour
  • ¼ + ? tsp fine sea salt
  • 12 tbsp (170 g) cold unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch cubes
  • 6 tbsp (90 g) ice water, plus more as needed
For the apple filling
  • 2 tbsp (28 g) unsalted butter
  • 14 oz (397 g) peeled and diced apples
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • ½ cup (107 g) dark brown sugar
  • 1½ tsp ground cinnamon
  • ½ tsp grated nutmeg
  • ½ tsp fine sea salt
  • 3 tbsp (37 g) sugar
  • 2 tbsp (15 g) all purpose flour
For the butterscotch pudding
  • 1½ cups (340 g) whole milk
  • ½ cup (118 g) heavy cream
  • ½ cup (107 g) dark brown sugar
  • ½ tsp fine sea salt
  • ¼ cup (28 g) cornstarch
  • 2 large egg yolks
  • 1 tbsp (14 g) unsalted butter
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
For the whipped cream
  • 1 cup (235 g) heavy cream
  • ¼ cup (50 g) sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • cinnamon, to garnish
Instructions
For the crust
  1. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour and sea salt. Add the butter cubes to the bowl and toss to coat in the flour, then use your fingers or a pastry cutter to cut the butter into the dough until the largest pieces are the size of peas.
  2. Slowly pour in the water, a tbsp or two at a time, mixing the dough lightly with your hands after each addition. Add only enough water until the dough starts to come together. You may need a few more or less tbsp than the recipe states.
  3. Once the dough comes together, form it into an even disk, about 1-inch thick. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 2 days.
  4. Once chilled, roll out your dough on a lightly-floured work surface to a 12-inch circle and then fit into a 9-inch deep dish pie plate, crimping the edges as desired. Dock the crust all over with a fork and place in the refrigerator to chill for at least another 30 minutes.
  5. To parbake the crust, heat oven to 425F. Line the chilled crust with parchment paper and top with pie weights to fill the crust entirely. Place in the oven and bake for 15-17 minutes, or until the edges are set and just starting to brown. Remove from the oven and lift the parchment and weights out of the pie shell. Return the crust to the oven and bake for another 3-5 minutes, or until the bottom appears set. Allow to cool completely.
For the apple filling
  1. Melt the butter in a medium pot over medium heat. Once melted, add the apples to the pot, stirring to coat with the butter. Stir in the vanilla, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Continue to cook until the sugar dissolves completely and the apples begin to soften, about 3-4 minutes.
  2. Meanwhile, whisk together the sugar and flour in a small bowl. Pour into the apple mixture and cook, stirring constantly, until thick, about 2-3 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool completely.
  3. While the filling is cooling, heat the oven to 400F.
  4. Place the prepared pie crust on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Pour in the cooled apple filling and spread over the pie crust in an even layer. Place in the oven and bake until the filling is bubbly, about 35-40 minutes. Cool completely.
For the butterscotch pudding
  1. Once the pie is cool, pour the milk and cream into a medium pot over medium heat and bring to a simmer.
  2. Meanwhile, whisk together the brown sugar, salt, and cornstarch in a heatproof bowl.
  3. Once the milk mixture is simmering, whisk the egg yolks into the sugar mixture, mixing well to combine. Pour a quarter of the hot milk mixture into the egg yolk mixture to temper the eggs, whisking constantly. Pour this mixture back into the pot with the rest of the milk. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until very thick and large bubbles can be seen on the surface, about 3-4 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the butter and vanilla.
  4. Strain the pudding through a fine-mesh sieve onto the top of the apple filling. Spread in an even layer. Cover with plastic wrap place directly onto the surface of the pudding to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate until set, at least 1 hour.
For the whipped cream
  1. Pour the heavy cream into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Whisk on medium-low speed until starting to thicken, about 1-2 minutes.
  2. Increase the speed to medium and add in the sugar in a slow stream. Whip to medium peaks. Add in the vanilla and mix to combine.
  3. Spoon or pipe over the cooled pie. Garnish with cinnamon, if desired.
Notes
Recipe from The Book On Pie

 

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One Response to Butterscotch Apple Pie

  1. JOANNE!! What on earth are you trying to do to us? My mouth was watering the entire time I was scrolling through to read the post.

    That looks so good I’d like to just stick my face in it! I definitely think this is the kinda pie you wanna be quarantined with. In fact, I’d go so far as to say that you probably wanna be alone when you eat it.

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