Old-Fashioned Butterscotch Pudding
Published Jan. 19, 2021
- Total Time
- 30 minutes, plus 2 hours’ chilling
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 4large egg yolks
- 3tablespoons cornstarch
- ½teaspoon fine sea salt
- ¾packed cup/165 grams dark brown sugar
- 1tablespoon unsalted butter
- 2cups/480 milliliters whole milk
- 1cup/240 milliliters heavy cream
- 1tablespoon bourbon or Scotch whisky (optional)
- 2teaspoons vanilla extract
- Whipped cream, sour cream or crème fraîche, for serving
- Chopped candied ginger, sliced almonds, Demerara sugar, shaved chocolate, cocoa nibs or flaky sea salt (or a combination), for garnish (optional)
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
570 calories; 35 grams fat; 20 grams saturated fat; 1 gram trans fat; 10 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 55 grams carbohydrates; 0 grams dietary fiber; 49 grams sugars; 9 grams protein; 382 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Put egg yolks, cornstarch and salt into a large heatproof bowl, and whisk until the mixture is smooth and there are no lumps.
- Step 2
In a medium pot over medium heat, combine brown sugar and butter, whisking, until the brown sugar melts, 1 to 2 minutes. Let cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture starts to smell like hot caramel and darkens slightly, about 1 minute longer. (Don’t walk away, or the mixture may burn.)
- Step 3
Immediately pour the milk and cream into the pot. (It will bubble fiercely and seize up.) Continue to cook, whisking constantly, until the clumps melt, 2 to 4 minutes.
- Step 4
Slowly whisk about ½ cup of the hot cream mixture into the bowl with the egg yolks, whisking yolks until smooth, then whisk in the remaining hot cream mixture. Pour the egg-cream mixture back into the saucepan and place it over medium heat.
- Step 5
Cook pudding, whisking constantly especially around the bottom and edges of the pot, until it comes to a full boil. (Don’t worry about the eggs curdling. You’re going to strain the mixture later.) Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, stirring the mixture constantly, until it thickens enough to mound thickly on the spoon, 4 to 7 minutes. If at any point the pudding looks curdled, whisk to help smooth it out.
- Step 6
Strain mixture through a fine sieve into a heatproof container or bowl, then stir in the Scotch or bourbon, if using, and vanilla. To prevent a skin from forming, press plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the pudding. (If you like the skin, don’t cover pudding until it cools.) Chill for at least 2 hours and up to 2 days.
- Step 7
When serving, spoon pudding into dishes. Top with dollops of whipped cream, sour cream or crème fraîche, and any of the optional garnishes.
- Make sure to bring the pudding to a full, vigorous boil to activate the cornstarch. Otherwise, it may not set. If you’ve ever ended up with thin, runny pudding, undercooking may have been the issue.
Private Notes
Comments
If you don't have any heavy cream you can substitute one quarter cup unsalted butter and three quarters cup whole milk. You are already using butter and milk in this recipe, anyway. I have used this substitution many times in this type of recipe.
Be forewarned, the sugar turns to rock hard clumps when you add the milk and cream. Don’t give up (although I almost did)! — just keep whisking (or stir if that is easier) and it will eventually melt back down. Turned out great in the end, but for a minute there I thought it was ruined!
Butterscotch pudding is one of my favorite desserts but this was my first time making it myself -- and it was delicious. One tip: When I added the cream/milk, the caramel seized epically. I thought it was ruined. But I kept stirring and stirring and stirring, for about 8 minutes, and finally it began to relax and melt. So don't give up if this happens to you! Your patience will be rewarded!
I also had an issue of the sugar not melting with the butter— it stayed grainy, which i thought was strange. I added the Tbs of rum I was planning to add later to the pot just to get the sugar to melt down which definitely changed the texture; more of a molten grainy material. I let that cook a bit and then added the milk and cream which I had warmed. That warmth (or maybe the alcohol) kept the sugar from seizing and I was able to cook the mixture thoroughly without that problem. In the end, the pudding was really good. It did not set up as firmly as expected but was smooth and didn’t require straining.
Made this exactly as written and so far so good. Glad to see that others had the same experience with the sugar clogging the wisk and seizing up when adding the milk/cream. Will use a spoon or spatula next time. It was perfectly smooth when done cooking, but strained it anyway (I bought a new chinoise and was eager to use it). Added bourbon. Did a taste test before putting in fridge - delicious! Will serve with maple whipped cream and toasted almonds.
I used a very small (2cup) copper pot to melt the butter and sugar and it took one minute. I added this to the warm milk and could control the amount of sugar.