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 - this is 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.

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.

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:

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.

Brown Butter Oatmeal Pie

Author: Erin
Prep Time: 1 hour
Cook Time: 1 1/2 hours
Total Time: 2 1/2 hours plus resting and cooling time
Yield: One 9" pie - serves 8 1x

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.

Scale

Ingredients

Pie Dough

375g all-purpose flour
Pinch of Salt
2 tsp (8g) sugar
225g cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes
240g cold water
1 cup ice
60g Apple cider vinegar
Egg wash - 1 egg whisked with 1 Tbsp water

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 DOUGH

Place flour, sugar and salt into a large bowl. Cut butter into chunks, and add to the flour. Toss lightly to coat.
Working quickly, using a pastry blender or your fingers, cut the butter into the flour mixture until there are only large pea-sized chunks left. You want a few lumps of butter remaining to keep the pastry nice and tender.
Combine ice, water and cider vinegar in a bowl. Sprinkle a few tablespoons of the ice water into the flour and butter mixture, and using a stiff spatula or your hands, mix in well. Continue adding water a tablespoon at a time ( I normally need about 1/2 cup plus a little more) until you have a dough that holds together well, but is not too wet.
Squeeze together with your fingertips to make a homogenous dough. Shape into two discs, and wrap in plastic wrap. Rest in the fridge for at least two hours, or preferably overnight. (See notes for rolling out dough during resting period)
Once the dough has rested, unwrap one disc and place on a lightly floured surface. Roll out to 1/4” (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, remove the parchment paper and beans, and brush the edges and crust with egg wash. Return to the oven and bake for a further 10 minutes, until evenly golden.
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 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

Adapted from Four and Twenty Blackbirds Pie Book

Keywords: Oatmeal, pecan pie, pie, thanksgiving, fall, brown butter