Butterscotch Meringue Pie

This is one of my favorite homeade pies! Some puddings made from scratch can taste bitter or overly sweet. This one is in perfect balance and while it includes a few steps, is very easy. The recipe itself is based on my mother-in-law's chocolate pudding/pie recipe. I altered some of the ingredients and flavors for this butterscotch pie but the technique and ratios remain.

My husband doesn't really like butterscotch in general so I decided to tell him it's a caramel pie and he loves it! The rich filling does offer a taste of caramlized sugar but that only adds to the appeal!

Butterscotch Meringue Pie

5 Tablespoons butter
1 cup brown sugar, packed
4 level tablespoons flour
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1/2 cup cream or half and half
3 large egg yolks
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 Baked 9 inch pie crust, cooled

Meringue

3 large egg whites (reserved from pie filling recipe)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
6 tablespoons granulated sugar


Melt butter in a medium saucepan and stir in brown sugar until butter is absorbed and mixture resembles apple butter. Remove from burner.
In a large bowl, whisk flour and salt with milk and cream, until smooth. Add beaten egg yolks and whisk until frothy. Add flour mixture to saucepan with sugar/butter mixture and whisk well. Return to burner and cook over medium-low heat until pudding thickens, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and mix in vanilla. Pour into baked pie crust. Top pie with meringue (recipe below) and spread all the way to crust edges.
Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and cool for 15 minutes. Cover with tented foil or plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving.


MERINGUE

3 egg whites
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoons cream of tartar
6 tablespoons granulated sugar.

Begin beating egg whites with mixer and add cream of tartar. Gradually add sugar and vanilla, beating until stiff peaks form and stand on their own.