Dolly Parton's Butterscotch Pie

 Dolly Parton's Butterscotch Pie

- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 1 cup brown sugar, packed
- 3 large egg yolks
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 pre-baked 9-inch pie crust
- Whipped cream
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Spray a 9-inch pie plate with nonstick cooking spray. Mix together the chopped pecans, softened butter, brown sugar and salt using a fork in a medium bowl. Press the mixture into the pie plate evenly over the bottom and up the sides.

Bake the crust for 10 to 15 minutes until the nuts are browned and fragrant. Move the pie pan to a cooling rack.

Mix together the brown sugar, cornstarch, flour and salt in a double boiler, then add the butter. Bring water in the bottom pan to a simmer over medium-high heat. Stir the ingredients in the top pan until they’re combined.

Slowly whisk in the sweetened condensed milk and water mixture. Whisk in the egg yolks, working quickly so they don’t scramble (this is called tempering eggs). Stir the pudding mixture constantly until it’s smooth and thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.

Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract.

Pour the pudding mixture into the baked pie crust. Bake it for 15 minutes at 300ºF until the filling is warmed through and firm. Remove the pie to a cooling rack.

The pecans from your crust may float up into the filling and end up on top. That’s OK—the end result is still delicious.

Once the pie has cooled to room temperature, cover it and chill it for several hours or overnight. Serve slices of the chilled pie plain or all Dolly-ed up with whipped cream.