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This butterscotch pumpkin pie has delicious caramel notes, the perfect silky smooth texture and is the ideal pumpkin pie for your holiday table. Serve this alongside this Caramelized Shallot Dip, Creamy Baked Macaroni and Cheese and perfect Cranberry Sauce.
Ingredients for Butterscotch Pumpkin Pie
- Ginger snap cookies – This is for the crust. I think they taste SO good with the caramel notes in the pumpkin pie.
- Brown sugar – Brown sugar and butter are going to be making the most delicious butterscotch for this pie.
- Pumpkin puree – I prefer organic canned pumpkin puree. It has the brightest orange color, I find. And the perfect amount of water.
- Eggs – This will help with giving us a pumpkin pie that sets.
- Bourbon – It will complement the pumpkin and butterscotch notes in a really pleasant way.
For full list of ingredients, please see the recipe card below.
Butterscotch VS. Caramel
Have you ever wondered the difference between butterscotch and caramel? Butterscotch is made with brown sugar; where as caramel is made with white sugar.
That’s it. I like my butterscotch not burnt or taken too far but just right.
How to Make Butterscotch Pumpkin Pie
- Start by baking the crust. I love this cookie crust because it’s much simpler than making pie dough. You only bake it for 5 minutes and allow it to cool.
- Make the butterscotch by combining the brown sugar and butter. Cook it until it smells like caramel and toasty and turns a darker brown color. Remove it from the heat.
- Pour in the bourbon and mix it. It will bubble up. That’s why I like to use a deep-set sauce pan, if possible.
- Pour in the heavy cream and whisk it until smooth. Combine it with the pumpkin and spices.
- Be sure you allow the mixture to cool down a bit before adding the eggs. Crack in the eggs and spices and whisk it until very smooth.
- Pour the filling into the pie crust and transfer to the oven to bake.
- Bake until the pie is set, about 35-40 minutes. I like to crack open the oven door, turn off the heat completely and let the pie stay in there for 5 minutes. This will ensure a smooth top (it won’t crack this way!)
Recipe FAQs
Absolutely. You can make this up to 2 days ahead and store it in the fridge lightly covered with plastic wrap. If it’s too tight it may mess up the topping.
Yes, you can use chocolate oreo cookies. Just be sure to remove the cream filling by scraping the cookies clean.
Tips and Tricks
- Avoid the Top from Cracking – To achieve this, crack open the oven and turn off the heat completely. Let it stay in the oven for about 5 minutes. This usually happens when there’s an extreme change in temperature.
- The Best Way to Make Cookie Crumbs – I like to do this by adding them to a food processor and blending them up. You can also do this by adding them to a plastic ziploc and crushing them with a rolling pin or wine bottle. Be sure they’re as small as you can get them because this will ensure that the crust stays intact.
What to Serve with this Pie
Here are some holiday table favorites that would go with this pie splendidly!
If you tried this Butterscotch Pumpkin Pie or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!
Butterscotch Pumpkin Pie
Equipment
- 1 (9-inch) tart pan or pie pan
Ingredients
Crust:
- 2 cups gingersnap crumbs, (from about 40 cookies)
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
Filling:
- 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon bourbon
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 cup canned pure pumpkin puree
- 1 large egg
- 1 large egg yolk
- Pinch ground cinnamon
- Pinch ground cloves
Instructions
To Make the Crust:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place the crumbs and salt in a medium bowl. Pour in the melted butter and mix until the gingersnap crumbs are moist. Transfer to 14-inch x 5-inch tart pan, 9-inch tart pan or 9-inch pie dish. Press the crumbs firmly and evenly until they line the bottom and sides of the pan or dish. Bake until slightly darker in color and mostly firm to the touch, about 5 minutes. Allow the crust to cool completely before adding the filling.
To Make the Pie Filling:
- Preheat oven to 350°F. In a medium saucepan, set over medium heat, add the brown sugar, butter and salt. Bring the mixture to a gentle boil over medium heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Continue boiling until it turns a dark brown color, about 2 minutes. Take off the heat and stir in the bourbon and heavy whipping cream. Most likely it’ll bubble up, continue stirring until dissolved. (If the sugar hasn’t dissolved, you can warm it on low heat, stirring constantly, until it dissolves.) Whisk in the pumpkin puree and stir. Remove it from the heat and allow it to cool for about 5 minutes. Then, add the whole egg, egg yolk, cinnamon and cloves. Mix until very smooth.
- Pour the filling into the prepared crust. Carefully transfer to the oven and bake until just set, about 35 to 40 minutes. Turn the oven off and open the oven door. I do this to avoid the top from cracking. Keep the pie in the oven for an additional 10 minutes and then remove it from the oven. I like to let it cool in a warm place, so near the oven is good!
- Cool the pie until room temperature, about 3 hours. Serve with whipped cream.
To make ahead:
- Make up to two days ahead, and keep in the fridge until you’re ready to serve. I cover this lightly with plastic wrap when I keep it in the fridge.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Hi! I keep trying to make the butterscotch part of the directions and when I put the bourbon and whipping cream in it immediately turns to a hard, candy-like consistency. What am I doing wrong? I waited for the sugar/butter/salt mix to boil and turn dark brown.
Thanks!
You’re doing nothing wrong. Keep cooking it a bit on low it’ll all re-melt! It’s basically seizing but if you cook it for a minute or two longer it’ll all come back together
It worked! Thank you! This is the first pie I’ve ever made and of course I picked thanksgiving day to do it haha. Thanks!! 🙂
Yayyy!! Let me know if you have any more questions!!
Thank you for this recipe! I had never baked a pie before, but your instructions were easy to follow and I think mine turned out pretty good! I’m excited to try more of your recipes.
YAYY!! This makes me so happy. xoxo
What should the consistency of the “butterscotch” be? If mine is liquid did I go too far? Should it be more of a caramel texture??
Umm..it’s slightly runnier than caramel. So I think you’re ok!
Pie is cooled, looks and smells perfect!! Thank you!
Yassss!!!
If you were to make this pie a day ahead, do you store it in the fridge? Would you then serve it cold or bring it out a few hours early to let it warm up?
You can store it in the fridge or just leave it out on the counter. If you’re uncomfortable with leaving it out of the fridge then just remove it a few hours earlier so it can come to room temperature!
Perfect, thank you!
This looks wonderful, so you leave the pie in the oven to cool?
Thanks
I just added this tip to the bottom of the recipe. I say YES! I didn’t do this the first time I tested this and big ol’ crack showed up but toward the end of my testing I cooled it down in the oven and no crack!
Thank you for posting this recipe – just made it :).
Can I ask in the baking process how you know when the pie is ‘set’? I baked it for 35 minutes and the crust is almost burnt, so i took it out, but not sure if it’s cooked in the middle? How do I tell?
Should I do the ‘knife test’ in the middle of the pie? If it comes out clean – then it is baked all the way through..
Hi Vivian,
Hmmm..that’s interesting. I made this a few times and the crust wasn’t burnt. I usually tell if I shake it lightly (basically pulling the oven rack out is enough) and it’s still slightly wobbly in the center. The knife test might work too but keep in mind that if it’s still slightly gooey, that’s ok. It will harden and cook more as it cools.
Thank you for the tip!
I initially baked the pie shell for 5 minutes, and maybe should have done it a minute less? Or maybe it’s my oven that baked the pie unevenly.
In any event, slightly burnt crust or not, I cannot wait to try the pie once it has completely cooled.
Thank you again for this wonderful recipe!
Hmm…the only thing I can think of is that maybe your oven runs hot? I’m not sure. Hopefully it still tastes delicious! xoxo
YUMMMMMmmmm and thanks for clearing up caramel vs. butterscotch. Wish butterscotch was made with actual butter and scotch… but I see you’ve got bourbon 🙂
Haha I know. I actually tried it with scotch but I didn’t like it–it was too harsh. BUT I TRIED IT! #GREATMINDS
Could I substitute vanilla for the bourbon?
I think 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract would be a lil’ bit too aggressive. I suggest adding 1 1/2 teaspoons of vanilla and just leaving out the bourbon. It’ll taste great!
Looks delicious! Would this filling work with a regular crust?
Yes, absolutely! It’ll definitely work.
I love the first picture in the post – the way the sunlight is shining in that photo is really pretty. Also, I like the ingenious way that you were able to cut pie pieces even though the pie pan was rectangular! I would not have thought of that!