Butterscotch pie facts for kids

Butterscotch pie is a yummy pie that's popular in America. It has a sweet, creamy filling made from brown sugar, egg yolks, cornstarch, milk or cream, and butter. This mixture is cooked until it becomes a thick, smooth custard. The pie is usually topped with a fluffy meringue (a topping made from whipped egg whites and sugar) that's lightly browned in the oven. Sometimes, people add grated chocolate or orange peel to the warm filling before adding the meringue for extra flavor!

History of Butterscotch Pie

Many people believe that butterscotch pie first appeared in 1904 in Connersville, Indiana. A woman named Sarah Wheeler, who owned a creamery, was making custard but accidentally overcooked it, turning it into something like butterscotch. Instead of throwing it away, she used it to make a pie for her sons.

Her special recipe was even published in a church cookbook that same year. This helped Sarah Wheeler become famous, and she eventually opened several restaurants. Her last restaurant closed in 1969. According to the recipe she shared, the filling was made by cooking brown sugar until it turned into caramel, then mixing it with flour and egg yolks, and finally adding butter and vanilla.

How Butterscotch Pie is Made

There are a few different ways to create the delicious butterscotch filling for the pie.

One common way is to mix the egg yolks and milk with the brown sugar and a thickener (like cornstarch). After this mixture starts to bubble, butter and vanilla are stirred in. Another method involves adding the egg yolks after the milk and sugar mixture has already thickened.

Some recipes start by melting the butter first. Then, other ingredients like sugar and cream are added to the melted butter. After that, warm milk (sometimes called "scalded" milk) is slowly mixed in with a thickener. In this version, the egg yolks are usually added at the very end.

Sometimes, people use dark corn syrup to make the filling even sweeter, or they might use evaporated milk instead of regular milk or cream for a slightly different texture.