This is basically a pecan pie but without the pecans, which makes it the perfect pie for those who can't have nuts but still want the pecan pie experience. Toasted oats are mixed with brown butter and golden syrup for a chewy, perfect pie.
Brown Butter Oatmeal Pie
Hi hi! Happy Wednesday! We continue our week of late to the party pie posts with this beauty - a Brown Butter Oatmeal Pie. I found it when I was flicking through one of my favourite books of all time, The Four and Twenty Blackbirds Pie Book. It is written by two sisters who have a pie shop here in Brooklyn, and it’s one of my most turned to when I’m looking for pie inspiration or exciting flavour combinations.
This recipe for Brown Butter Oatmeal Pie has some serious pecan pie vibes. Because I’m not from America, I didn’t grow up eating Pecan Pie, but I love the concept of it so much - toasty nuts in a sweet, custardy filling. This pie follows that same route - Oats are toasted, and then stirred into a sweet custard situation. I only made a few tweaks by browning the butter that goes into the pie, and subbing corn syrup for golden syrup (I love the taste so much), and I was amazed at how easy it comes together. This would be a great option if you are using a pre-purchased pie crust too - all you have to do is toast up the Oats and then stir everything together and bake it off.
Brown Butter Oatmeal Pie - Pecan Pie without the Pecans!
The top of the pie is slightly crispy, and the interior is custardy, with beautiful chew from the oats, and sweetness from the filling. I love it as an alternative to a Pecan Pie (it would be perfect if you are in a nut free home), or even as an alongside if there are people who don’t like pecan pie. The original recipe has a black bottom, so a layer of bittersweet ganache on the bottom, which I am absolutely going to try next time I made this!
A few wee tips for Brown Butter Oatmeal Pie
- Because this pie bakes at quite a low temperature, you are going to want to blind bake it a little more than a regular blind baked pie to ensure that the pastry cooks completely. I neglected this step a little this time around, and learnt from my mistake - don’t make the same mistake that I did!
- This needs a few hours to cool before you cut into it to ensure that it is cooked. It would do well made the day before and stored at room temperature overnight
- If you don’t have golden syrup, use corn syrup, or this would be so good with honey too.
- The pie dough recipe makes a double crust - so enough for two pies. You might as well make the extra while you are at it in my opinion - pie dough freezes well, tightly wrapped, for at least a few months, or lasts a few days in the fridge. Defrost overnight if using from frozen.
- A pie dough trick I learnt from my friend Erin that is now firmly in my repertoire : After you mix the dough and shape it into discs, rest it in the fridge for about an hour, and then roll it out on a floured surface into a rectangle, fold it in thirds like a letter, then roll again and repeat the folding. Then you shape it into a disc by folding the edges under, rewrap tightly in plastic, and rest for at least two hours before using. What this step does is make the dough homogenous and therefore easy to work with, but also adds layers through the rolling and folding - the same way puff pastry is laminated. It is definitely an optional step but from my experience it makes the world of difference when it comes to rolling out the dough and getting a nice even crimp or lattice work.
- When you are par baking your pie crust, chill your crust in the fridge rather than the freezer if you can - a longer chill in the fridge is preferable to a short chill in the freezer
- I have 115g butter written in the recipe - the actual recipe uses 75g butter (I have noted it in the method) but I have you start with 115 to account for the loss in volume when you brown the butter.
For more Pie Recipes, Check Out:
- Butterscotch Apple Pie
- Apple Crumble Pie
- Cherry Slab Pie with Brown Butter Oat Streusel
- Banoffee Pie
- Brown Butter Pecan Pie
Made this recipe and love it?
If you made this recipe then I would LOVE for you to leave me a review below to let me know how you liked it! Also, please make sure to tag me on Instagram if you make it!
A note on salt and oven temperature
It is important to note the type of salt that is called for in a recipe. I use Diamond Crystal salt throughout my recipes - if you use a different sort of kosher salt or regular table salt you will need to adjust accordingly as some salt is 'saltier' than others. Morton's salt is twice as salty, so you will need half the quantity. Same goes for a regular table salt. I am working to get gram measurements throughout my recipes for salt but still getting there.
All oven temperatures are conventional unless otherwise stated. If you are baking on fan / convection, you will need to adjust the temperature. An oven thermometer is a great investment to ensure that your oven is the correct temperature.
Using the double / triple function in the recipe card
You will notice that there is a '1X' '2X' '3X' button in my recipe card. This can be used for doubling or tripling a recipe. However, please note that this only doubles the ingredient quantities in the ingredients list and NOT in the method. If there are quantities or pan sizes in the method of the recipe (for example weigh out 150g brown butter), you will need to scale this number manually. It will also not change the baking time in the recipe so you will need to adjust this yourself too. It is always a good idea to read through a recipe fully before doubling it just to check this. If you would like to scale this recipe or convert for another pan size, use my calculator!
Tools and equipment
For a list of my go-to tools and equipment, I have a post you can refer to here.
Why is this recipe in grams?
I post my recipes in grams as it is the most accurate way to bake. Cups are not only inaccurate but they vary in volume worldwide. There is no way for me to provide one cup measure that works for everyone. However, posting in weight fixes this issue. If you would like the recipe in cups you are welcome to convert it yourself via google, but please do not ask me to do it for you as I am not comfortable providing a recipe using a method that I have not tested. Baking with a scale is easy, accurate, and also makes cleanup super simple. Here is the scale that I use if you would like a recommendation! Here's to accurate baking!
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Brown Butter Oatmeal Pie
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 1 ½ hours
- Total Time: 2 ½ hours plus resting and cooling time
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Category: Pie
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
This basically a pecan pie but without the pecans, which makes it the perfect pie for those who can't have nuts but still want the pecan pie experience. Toasted oats are mixed with brown butter and golden syrup for a chewy, perfect pie.
Ingredients
Pie Crust
- 1 homemade pie crust, shaped into a disc and chilled*
Brown Butter Oatmeal Filling
- 175g Old Fashioned or Rolled Oats
- 115g butter, from the fridge
- 150g brown sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 300g Golden Syrup
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
- 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 4 eggs, at room temperature
- Powdered Sugar to dust (optional)
Instructions
PIE CRUST
- I like to make my pie crust the night before or at least 2 hours before to give it time to rest.
- Once the dough has rested, unwrap the disc and place on a lightly floured surface. Roll out to ¼” (6mm) in thickness, turning the dough 45˚ often as you are rolling to keep it even. You want the circle to be slightly larger than your pie tin. Transfer to a 9” pie tin, and arrange to ensure that the dough is well settled.
- Trim the dough using scissors or a sharp knife, leaving about one inch excess around the edges. Gently tuck the dough under and onto itself, to give you a neat folded edge. Chill in the fridge for 15-20 minutes, then remove from the fridge and crimp as desired. Dock all over with the tines of a fork, then chill for a further 30 minutes, or freeze for 20 minutes or until solid.
- While the crust is in the fridge, preheat the oven to 425˚f / 220˚c. Cut a piece of parchment slightly larger than the pie dish. Line with the parchment paper and fill with pie weights or dried beans, filling right to the bottom of the crimps.
- Place the pie tin on a baking sheet, and place in the oven. Bake for 20 minutes, or until the edges are slightly golden brown. Remove from the oven, and remove the parchment paper and beans. Return to the oven and bake for a further 5-10 minutes, until evenly golden. (You want to blind bake this crust as it then bakes at a low temperature)
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely on a wire rack.
FILLING AND ASSEMBLY
- Preheat the oven to 350°f / 180°f. Spread the Oats on a sheet pan, and place in the oven. Bake, stirring occasionally, for 10-15 minutes, or until the oats are lightly golden brown.
- Reduce the oven temperature to 325°f.
- Place the butter in a medium saucepan, and place over medium heat. Cook until the butter has melted, and then continue to cook, swirling the pan often, until the butter foams and turns golden brown and nutty - this should take 3-4 minutes. Transfer to a bowl, allow to cool slightly.
- To make the filling, in a large bowl, combine the brown sugar, salt, and 75g (see Notes section below) of the cooled brown butter. Mix to incorporate with a whisk. Add in the golden syrup, vanilla bean paste, cider vinegar, and whisk to combine. Add eggs one at a time, whisking well between each addition.
- Add in the oats and combine with a rubber spatula.
- Place the par-baked pie onto a baking sheet. Pour the filling into the crust.
- Bake the pie for 55 minutes to an hour, rotating once during the baking process. You want to look for slightly puffed up edges and a centre that is firm to the touch but still has a little give.
- Allow to cool completely at room temperature. Dust with powdered sugar before serving.
Notes
You may notice that there are two quantities of butter in the recipe - the initial quantity of butter, then a second measurement in the method which is the quantity of brown butter. The larger initial quantity is to account for water loss when browning - read more about that in my FAQ.
If you are using the recipe scaling feature (2x or 3x) be aware that any quantities, measurements, pan sizes, and cooking times given in the method do not scale automatically - it's only the quantities in the Ingredient List that scale automatically.
The recipe for homemade pie crust that is linked makes two crusts - this recipe uses one of them. If you need more help with par-baking, ready my post on how to blind bake pie crust
Adapted from Four and Twenty Blackbirds Pie Book
Keywords: Oatmeal, pecan pie, pie, thanksgiving, fall, brown butter
Comments
I HAVE NO IDEA HOW TO CONVERT THE GRAMS TO CUPS... CAN YOU RELEASE YOUR RECIPES IN NORMAL AMERICAN MEASURMENTS?
Hi Sheryl, firstly I would have been happy to help if you hadn't have come onto my blog shouting like this. If you would like to convert the measurements, google is a great resource - you can either use it to make the conversions, or to find another recipe instead of berating me for my FREE recipe not being what you need - it is a super stale, entitled take. For what it's worth, a large majority of Americans now bake with a scale as it is the most accurate. I am also in America. Good luck with your pie making.
There’s no such thing as “normal American measurements”. There IS such a thing as good manners, respect and kindness. More gratitude and less entitlement. Erin creates, writes and shares AMAZING recipes for FREE. A scale will cost less than $15 and will produce consistent results every time. If weight measurements don’t work for you, move onto another recipe. No need for these ungrateful comments. American Thanksgiving is this week, let’s practice more GRATITUDE.
I guess it's not enough that you spend weeks developing, writing and testing these recipes countless times until they're perfect. It's a shame that people feel entitled to be rude to you on your website.
★★★★★
Could vanilla extract be substituted for the vanilla bean paste without an extreme loss of depth/flavor? I love Four & Twenty Blackbirds pie, my parents used to have a store a block from their original location on 3rd ave when I was a teen, I used to occasionally walk down and grab a slice (not too often though, for the sake of not eating pie every day!). Can't wait to bake this.
Hi! yep you can sub them 1:1 provided your extract is good quality!
so good, like an oatmeal cookie in pie form!
★★★★★
I don't like pecans so this sounds like a dream!!!!
This fabulous pie has replaced my yearly pecan pie in our thanksgiving rotation! It has all the delightful gooeyness of the other pie without the expense, which I appreciate, so toasted pecans can star in other ways at my table (a really good spinach salad!). My daughter liked it so much the first time I made it that she requested it for her birthday instead of cake (and she loves cake). One thing: Don’t ask Erin what a good substitute for golden syrup is because there is no equal. Just suck it up and buy some from a specialty shop or do like I do and buy a 6-pack from the evil genius at Amazon. Your only regret will be contributing to his maniacal fortune.
★★★★★
Such a great pie! I live in the US and wasn’t able to find golden syrup at any of my local stores, so I substituted honey and it worked well. I made it for Thanksgiving, but it was so good we had it for breakfast the next day too. Not surprised - all of your recipes are great!
★★★★★