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OLD FASHIONED SUGAR PIE RECIPE

Apr.posted by Paula 47 Comments

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A popular vintage pie, this OLD FASHIONED SUGAR PIE RECIPE has a caramel custard filling and flaky crust.

Additionally, this recipe is simple and economical to make…. and it makes me want to sing ‘Sugar Pie, honeybunch, you know that I love you…’ Apologies, I couldn’t help myself!

A popular pie, this Old Fashioned Sugar Pie Recipe has a caramel custard filling and flaky crust.

I had a reader ask about an Old Fashioned Sugar Pie Recipe after I posted this Buttermilk Pie. I had not heard of an Old Fashioned Sugar Pie Recipe before but did a little research.

A Sugar Pie has a single crust and is filled with a mixture of butter, flour, milk, eggs, and brown sugar. When it bakes the filling turns into a caramel-like mixture. It’s originally from western European countries and popularized in the U.S. by the Amish. Sometimes the Old Fashioned Sugar Pie Recipe is referred to as ‘desperation pie’ because it could be made with ingredients that would always be on hand ‘on the farm’ much like the Buttermilk Pie, Vinegar Pie or Chess Pie.

A popular pie, this Old Fashioned Sugar Pie Recipe has a caramel custard filling and flaky crust.

I found a simple version of the recipe in one of my Grandmother’s old recipe books. Basically, there were just measurements and no good instructions. After a couple of tries, it turned out great, and ready to share with you. Turns out this recipe is crazy simple to make. Most recipes that have been around a long time are simple. But, they stand the test of time because they’re also good and usually economical to make.

Old Fashioned Sugar Pie Recipe has a custard-like consistency. It’s like flan or creme brulee without the caramelized sugar on top. You could totally top this pie with meringue if you’re not meringue opposed like me.

A popular pie, this Old Fashioned Sugar Pie Recipe has a caramel custard filling and flaky crust.

OLD FASHIONED SUGAR PIE RECIPE Tips

Be patient when making the milk mixture for this pie. Heat it on medium to medium-low heat and stir constantly until it reaches a low boil. Otherwise, you’ll risk scorching the milk.

Likewise, be patient when baking the pie. It takes a long time to bake, especially when you’re dying to taste it. This pie will still be slightly jiggly in the center when it’s done. But the edges will be set and the top will be lightly browned. And, hey, if you take it out of the oven before it’s set, serve over ice cream as a sauce and it’s still good. #becauseIknow

For convenience, I used a store-bought pie crust this time. You can use this Never Fail Pie Crust as well

HOW TO TEMPER IN COOKING?

Tempering means bringing two liquids you plan to blend together to a similar temperature before combining them 

In this recipe, it means to add a small amount of the hot liquid, milk, to the cold ingredient, eggs, a little at a time. This gradually brings the temperature of the eggs up and prevents them from scrambling

A popular pie, this Old Fashioned Sugar Pie Recipe has a caramel custard filling and flaky crust.

WHERE DID SUGAR PIE ORIGINATE?

This pie is originally from France. It came to Quebec, and subsequently the rest of Canada, during colonization. Sugar Pie varieties can also be found in other western European countries, as well as throughout the mid-west in the US.

IS TART AU SUCRE THE SAME AS SUGAR PIE?

Yes! Tarte au Sucre is a French term meaning “sugar pie.”

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Old Fashioned Sugar Pie Recipe

Old Fashioned Sugar Pie Recipe

Butter, sugar and brown sugar cook in a flaky crust to form a caramel-like pie. This Old FAshioned Sugar Pie Recipe is simple yet decadent.
Author: Paula
4.91 from 50 votes
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Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Servings: 8 slices

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 6 tablespoons flour
  • ½ cup whole milk
  • 1 and ½ cups brown sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 9-inch Pie crust I used a store bought crust

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  • Carefully roll out pie crust and fit in pie pan.
  • Place pie pan on a cookie sheet in case it boils over.
  • Melt butter in a saucepan. Stir in flour and whisk until smooth.
  • Gradually add milk, whisking constantly.
  • Cook until mixture thickens and just begins to boil.
  • Remove from heat and add brown sugar.
  • Whisk until dissolved.
  • In a small bowl, whisk eggs. Stir in vanilla.
  • Temper eggs with hot milk mixture. (Temper means to add a small amount of the hot liquid, milk, to the cold ingredient, eggs, a little at a time. This gradually brings the temperature of the eggs up and prevents them from scrambling.)
  • Add tempered eggs to milk mixture and whisk.
  • Pour into unbaked pie crust.
  • Bake at 350° F for 50 to55 minutes or until firm on the outside of the pie and slightly 'jiggly' on in the center.

Notes

I retested this recipe and made changes to the above ingredient amounts that I believe work better. Below is simply the recipe as originally written.
  • 2 tablespoon butter
  • 2 tablespoons flour
  • ½ cup whole milk
  • 1 and ½ cups brown sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 (9-inch) Pie crust, I used a store-bought crust

Nutrition

Calories: 245kcal | Carbohydrates: 44g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 60mg | Sodium: 81mg | Potassium: 153mg | Sugar: 43g | Vitamin A: 254IU | Calcium: 110mg | Iron: 1mg
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Paula
« Cheesy Chorizo Cornbread
3 Ingredient Slow Cooker Pot Roast »

Comments

  1. Jacqueline nisbet says

    01.24.23 at 10:22 am

    It’s actually a French recipe. ( may have stated in France) but it’s definitely a old Quebec recipe known as tarte au sucre … it goes back as far as 1759 .. French Belgium then Quebec Canada

    Reply
  2. L kirk says

    12.17.22 at 3:29 pm

    Mine is in the oven… My husbands 40th surprise party is tomorrow and this, he said, is his favorite! I hope I don’t let him down! (Our one year wedding anniversary was last week and I’ve never made this for him before!) 🤞🤞🤞🤞

    Reply
    • Lauren says

      12.22.22 at 7:57 pm

      I was really stressing initially making this because it seemed WAY too thick at the beginning but once everything came together it was perfect!

      Reply
  3. Tecoha Gagnon says

    02.23.22 at 2:46 pm

    You ingredients are small there’s no way that can fill a pie . Unless I’m missing something here

    Reply
    • Pjs says

      03.15.22 at 9:23 pm

      Did you actually make it? Or just comment on it! Because its a normal recipe.

      Reply
    • Jennifer says

      11.19.22 at 1:39 pm

      5 stars
      Umm 🤔 Make the pie 🥧 before you say something. Perfectly filled pie crust!

      Reply
  4. Amanda says

    04.18.21 at 8:53 pm

    5 stars
    I made this easily and it was so so so amazingly delicious! My daughter got to try it with me and she really enjoyed it, now tomorrow let my sons try, which if I know them enough they will also enjoy!!
    Thanks so much for sharing this recipe!!

    Reply
  5. Julie says

    11.14.20 at 1:39 pm

    5 stars
    This is my go to custard recipe. love it in pies and just baked as a custard. LOVE!!!

    Reply
  6. wallace white says

    12.08.19 at 8:31 pm

    3 stars
    I tried this recipe. Its was ok. I much preferred the southern style better. It uses no milk and more butter. Its a sweeter denser filling.

    Reply
  7. NANCY E COLEMAN says

    11.29.19 at 2:26 pm

    5 stars
    This is very similar to my Grandma Coleman’s sugar pie. One difference is, she did not add eggs. She made the pie crust and then dumped the dry ingredients onto the crust and added evaporated milk (another difference), stirring with her finger and adding milk as needed until she got just the right consistency. She also dotted the pie with butter before baking. Yum.

    Reply
    • Laura Davis says

      04.22.20 at 4:49 pm

      5 stars
      yep this is how I learned to make it too.

      Reply
    • Judy Herr says

      09.13.21 at 6:50 pm

      5 stars
      I have been searching with no success for over 60 years for a recipe like my mother made (never written down!) which called for “dumping” the ingredients into the crust, adding evaporated milk and dotting with butter! She also added lots of cinnamon and called it “Poorman’s Pie”. I am going to try the Old Fashioned Sugar Pie Recipe with these changes and keep my fingers crossed! Thank you.

      Reply
      • Nancy says

        03.09.22 at 10:54 am

        What does temper the eggs mean

        Reply
        • Paula says

          03.10.22 at 6:52 am

          Temper means to add a small amount of the hot liquid, milk, to the cold ingredient, eggs, a little at a time. This gradually brings the temperature of the eggs up and prevents them from scrambling

          Reply
    • Marlene Byrne says

      09.14.22 at 10:55 pm

      My mother used to make this kind of pie.

      Reply
  8. Yolanda says

    08.11.19 at 6:22 pm

    Can I use a tenderflake pie crust??

    Reply
    • Paula says

      09.05.19 at 3:20 pm

      I’m not familiar with what tenderflake pie crust is…

      Reply
  9. Mary reid says

    07.21.19 at 10:38 am

    what does it mean by temper the eggs i never heard of temper before used in cooking ty

    Reply
    • Paula says

      07.21.19 at 6:17 pm

      this explains it the best>

      Reply
  10. none says

    06.21.19 at 2:47 pm

    Is it okay to double the recipe?

    Reply
    • Paula says

      06.22.19 at 2:41 pm

      yes

      Reply
  11. Mackenzie says

    01.01.19 at 3:14 pm

    Does this pie do well to make a day ahead?

    Reply
    • Paula says

      01.03.19 at 1:18 pm

      Yes. I almost always make my desserts a day early. It was great.

      Reply
      • Tonya says

        07.17.21 at 10:37 pm

        Do you refrigerate the leftovers or if you’re baking the day before?

        Reply
        • Paula says

          07.19.21 at 8:27 am

          You don’t have to

          Reply
  12. Lora says

    12.23.18 at 12:37 am

    5 stars
    Does this pie have to be refrigerated once cooled???

    Reply
    • Paula says

      12.24.18 at 10:34 am

      no it doesn’t

      Reply
  13. Kim says

    03.22.18 at 7:01 pm

    5 stars
    Made this pie and loved it.

    Reply
    • Paula says

      05.05.18 at 11:06 am

      I didn’t have that happen 🙁

      Reply
    • Rob says

      09.19.20 at 11:47 pm

      I had the same problem. It turned out VERY wet.

      Reply
    • Jon says

      12.08.20 at 2:13 pm

      For anyone reading this, its worth noting that this is, at its heart, a custard pie. Once you bake it, it will still be a bit jiggly in the middle. It needs 2-3 hours to cool down before cutting into it for the custard to set. Even then, the final product should be creamy, not gooey.

      Reply
  14. lillie says

    11.16.17 at 8:11 am

    I was looking for egg pie recipes with evaporated milk couldn’t find, with just the egg yolk anyway I’m going to try to make this pie today

    Reply
  15. Theresa says

    10.18.16 at 8:54 am

    Hello Paula,
    I want to make this pie but I don’t have whole milk just 2%, do you think that will work or should I use evaporated milk?
    Thank you for your time.
    T

    Reply
  16. Andrea says

    04.12.16 at 11:24 am

    I’m dying to try this! this is probably a silly question but do you serve it warm or chilled?

    Reply
    • Paula says

      04.12.16 at 11:50 am

      I don’t like it hot, but some people do. I prefer it slightly warm to room temperature. When I make it for guests I serve it this way. I also like it chilled but not quite as much as room temperature.

      Reply
  17. Mary says

    02.23.16 at 1:16 pm

    This pie looks and sounds wonderful, Paula! Thank you so much for linking this and so many other great recipes to Weekend Potluck each Friday! We love your shares!

    Reply
  18. Jenean says

    08.16.15 at 12:24 am

    5 stars
    I cannot wait to make your Old Fashioned Sugar Pie, Thank you for sharing all your great Recipes with the rest of us.

    Reply
  19. Chris says

    04.30.15 at 4:20 pm

    My grandmother from Quebec used to make sugar pie, which was my FAVOURITE dessert when I was little. She would serve it with a dollop of fresh whipped cream and then maple syrup was drizzled over the whole thing. Needless to say, very small pieces were cut which made a deliciously decadent dessert! Now that I’m a Grandma, it’s high time I introduced this bit of my heritage to our wee fiends!

    Reply
    • Paula says

      05.01.15 at 5:52 pm

      Let me know how it turns out! I think it’s so important o preserve these old recipes!

      Reply
  20. Elayne says

    04.16.15 at 11:30 pm

    5 stars
    Thanks for the recipes. FYI Sugar Pie is a very popular pie from Quebec, Canada. There it is generally made with maple syrup and it is amazing!

    Reply
  21. Liz says

    04.15.15 at 6:08 pm

    Thank you for the nice recipe.

    Reply
    • Paula says

      04.16.15 at 2:00 pm

      You’re welcome, I hope you enjoy!

      Reply
  22. Carol at Wild Goose Tea says

    04.13.15 at 7:05 pm

    I love pies. This type of pie doesn’t get appropriate attention. It’s delish. I will say I’d forgotten about it. So thank you for both the reminder and a handy recipe.

    I don’t normally talk about ME, but please make note of the slight name change from Wild Goose Tea. New web design too—whoopee and adding some new features along the way.

    Reply

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