This Old Fashioned Sugar Cream Pie is creamy and sweet, with a texture similar to crème brûlée. It uses simple ingredients and takes just a few minutes to prepare.
Roll pie crust dough into an 11-inch circle. Place in a pie pan, pressing out any air pockets. Prick the bottom and sides of the pie crust with a fork. Line with parchment paper and fill the crust with pie weights or dried beans.
1 pie crust
Bake the dough for 15 minutes with pie weights, then reduce the temperature to 350°F (180°C) and remove the pie weight. Return to the oven for an additional 5 minutes. Remove the pan to cool completely, but leave the oven on.
In a medium saucepan, whisk sugar and cornstarch together.
⅓ cup cornstarch, 1 cup granulated sugar
Add cream and butter to the pan and cook over medium heat, whisking continually. Bring the mixture to a boil and then cook one minute longer.
5 tablespoon butter, 3 cups heavy cream
Remove from heat and whisk in the vanilla extract and salt. Pour the cream mixture into the cooled pie crust and smooth using a spoon or spatula.
1 tablespoon vanilla, 1 pinch table salt
Pour the melted butter over the top of the pie. Combine 2 tablespoons of sugar with 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon and sprinkle evenly over the top of the butter.
Place the pie on the center rack of your oven and bake for 20-25 minutes.
Turn the oven to broil for 1 minute, or until the sugar crystallizes and browns. Watch carefully so you don't burn your pie!
Remove from oven and cool to room temperature, then transfer to the refrigerator until ready to serve.
Notes
Storage: Cover the pie tightly with plastic wrap and store it in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.Tips:
Whisk the custard continuously, using care to scrape the bottom of the pan regularly, so that the mixture does not burn.
If you are using a fully baked crust, then you can skip finishing the pie in the oven and just broil the sugar to caramelize it. The filling is cooked to a safe temperature on the stovetop. The oven baking changes the texture of the custard but I still love it without that additional cook time.
Place a pie shield over the crust before broiling. This step will keep your crust from burning.
Use a pie plate that is safe for broiling. I have never had a problem with a standard glass pie plate, but the high heat could cause the glass to shatter.