Did y’all watch the World Series? I did–I always do. I don’t care who’s playing (unless it’s the Texas Rangers), I just love baseball. Over the last month, I have watched nearly every single game that was broadcast. I’ve politely turned down invitations, ducked out early, and informed friends that I’d be back up for socializing just as soon as the World Champions were crowned. That’s not to say that I have been a hermit. My friend, Jody, and I have a running text chat for the duration of every postseason (check out his web comic here). And my pal, VJ, was brave enough to watch the last game of the NLDS with me. While I experienced the full range of human emotion over the first few innings, she said “Betsy,* watching you watch baseball is way more interesting than actual baseball.” Perhaps it’s a good thing that the postseason is over now 😬

*Yes, she calls me Betsy. Read the story on that here.

I’ve been a little slow to blog these past few weeks, but can you blame me? The Chicago Cubs were playing. And they WON after 108 years! I couldn’t miss that.

Now that all the baseball is suddenly over, I’ve got a bit of a postseason hangover: I kind of don’t know what to do with myself if I’m not watching a high-stakes game! Rest assured, it’ll pass. I’ve got plenty to do to distract myself–Thanksgiving is coming up in a few weeks! Here on E2 Bakes, that means it’s pie season. I’ll be sharing three new pie recipes leading up to Turkey Day.

First up? This Salted Butterscotch Pie. You read that right. Salted. Butterscotch. Pie. YUM!

This pie, y’all. It’s going to be a new favorite. Not only is it bursting with the buttery brown sugar flavor of butterscotch–it’s quick and easy to assemble and slices like a dream! The crust is my go-to Cream Cheese Pie Dough. It’s my favorite pie dough ever: there’s no guess work with the liquid, it never tears, and it is seriously flaky and delicious. Try it sometime!

Anyway, roll out your crust, fit it in a pie plate, and crimp it. Then throw it in the freezer. Freezing the shaped dough will help keep your pie crust from shrinking while baking. Since this pie’s filling is just liquid (and liquid moves when heated), there’s not a whole lot keeping it in place. Don’t skip this step!

The butterscotch filling is super easy to make. It’s mostly just whisking. Start with two cups of dark brown sugar and a bunch of eggs. There are four eggs and two egg yolks in this pie. That may seem like a lot, but they are a powerhouse in this filling. The eggs, along with the brown sugar, provide the smooth texture as well as richness and structure!

Once the dark brown sugar and eggs are combined, mix in milk, apple cider vinegar, vanilla, and melted butter. Lastly comes a little flour to thicken the filling, some cinnamon and nutmeg for depth, and salt. The filling will be soupy going into the oven, but once it bakes, it will become dense and custardy.

When the pie comes out of the oven, sprinkle it with finishing salt. I am partial to Trader Joe’s Cypriot Pyramid Salt because of the big crunchy flakes, but use whatever salt you like. Gray salt and Fleur de Sel are good choices, but if you have some specialty salt in the back of your spice cabinet, feel free to use that. As the pie cools, the salt will adhere itself to the top, adding a little salty punch to every sweet butterscotch bite.

And speaking of cooling, this Salted Butterscotch Pie doesn’t require a long rest between baking and eating. The pie pictured was sliced just one hour after baking! It’s super structurally sound at any temperature and can be served warm, room temperature, or cold. It’s the dream. And if you have vanilla ice cream to go with it, all the better.

Looking for more Thanksgiving pie inspiration? Check out this Black Bottom Pear & Almond Pie and this light and fluffy Pumpkin Pie!

Salted Butterscotch Pie
makes one 9-inch standard pie

1/2 recipe Cream Cheese Pie Dough or other good crust
2 cups dark brown sugar, packed
4 large eggs + 2 large egg yolks, room temperature
1/2 cup whole milk
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon Kosher or sea salt
1/2-1 teaspoon finishing salt, for topping
vanilla ice cream, for serving (optional)

Roll out pie crust to a 12-inch diameter and fit it in a 9-inch standard pie plate. Trim the excess to 1/2-inch and crimp as desired. Freeze prepared crust for 15 minutes while you make the filling.

Position oven racks to the top and bottom positions. Preheat oven to 350F. Place dark brown sugar in a large mixing bowl. Whisk in eggs and yolks one at a time until completely combined. Stir in milk, apple cider vinegar, and vanilla. While whisking constantly, drizzle in the melted butter until combined. Stir in flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Let filling sit five minutes for any large bubbles to dissipate. Remove crust from the freezer and place it on a baking sheet. Pour filling into prepared crust (you may have a few tablespoons leftover).

Bake pie for 25 minutes on the bottom rack of the oven. Move pie to the top rack of the oven and tent loosely with foil. Bake 25-35 minutes, until filling is puffy. When the filling is done, it should jiggle just slightly when the pan is jostled and a toothpick inserted in the middle should come out clean. Once the filling deflates, sprinkle the pie with finishing salt. Let pie cool on a rack until it reaches room temperature. Serve in small slices with ice cream, if desired.

Pie will keep covered at room temperature for up to three days, or in the refrigerator for up to five.