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Southern Brown Sugar Pie
It recently came to my attention that brown sugar pie is not a commonly known dessert. “What?!”, I thought! The world doesn’t know about BROWN SUGAR PIE?! Well I intend to change that, one Pizzazzerie reader at at time. This pie is a family tradition that my mother made for every holiday, her parents made for every holiday, and generations back.
Southern brown sugar pie is very similar to chess pie but yet, so different. The rich brown sugar flavor and caramelizingon top is just.so.good. It’s hands down my favorite pie (even over my red velvet fudge pie, which is saying a lot).
Now I’m not saying it’s a gorgeous “look at me” pie. It’s simple-looking, plain jane, ho-hum. But watch out because there is a reason it’s the first dessert gone at holidays. The crispy caramelized crust on topis my favorite part. Then the ooey gooey brown sugar inside is so delicious.
Now you can give it a little extra pizzazz with some whipped cream or butter pecan ice cream but know that it doesn’tneed it as it’s stand-alone amazing. I also love that it only has a few ingredients (ingredients I often have on hand anyway) so it’s perfect for a last-minute dessert too! I might even make it into mini pies this year to give as gifts!
I’m so thankful for ALL of the readers that have shared their photos of the brown sugar pie, emailed to tell me how much their families love this pie, and those who have tagged me on social media to share pies.
It’s clearly a little hidden gem of a recipe that doesn’t necessarily look like it would be the “winning dessert” but in my family, it absolutely is!
WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING:
“Thank you so much. The pie turned out just wonderful! This is hands down a new family favorite. My kiddos said it is better than birthday cake! (Which to them is better than anything else)” – Brittney
Your oven may take longer to cook, so just watch it. It will still “set up” once it cools but try to be sure your brown sugar pie is slightly firm before bringing out of the oven. I hope you’ll try it this year! It’s definitely a delicious southern tradition that would be a tragedy to never taste, especially if you have brown sugar.
My husband’s grandmother says it reminds her of a pecan pie (without pecans) so if you like pecan pie, you’ll definitely love this one too! And because it’s thin, you’re totally allowed to have two pieces. Enjoy!
Southern Brown Sugar Pie
While our original family recipe yields two pies, I have adjusted this recipe to one pie in my new book, The Southern Entertainer’s Cookbook. Follow the recipe for two pies below or if you only want one, I recommend following the adjusted recipe for 1 in my new book.
If you want to make your own homemade pie crust, I recommend THIS recipe!
A delicious southern favorite, this brown sugar pie is delicious!
SERVINGS 16slices
Print Rate Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 20 minutesmins
Cook Time 55 minutesmins
Total Time 1 hourhr15 minutesmins
Ingredients
1poundlight brown sugar
1/2cupunsalted butter - melted
3eggs
1tablespoonvanilla extract
2pie crusts
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Prepare each pie pan with pie crust.
Lightly whisk together eggs and add in sugar, butter, and vanilla. You don't want to over-beat your pie filling.
Pour pie filling into each pie pan. Bake pies on middle rack of oven for 45-55+ minutes or until golden brown. Update: It might need longer based on oven temperatures. Check to see that pie is baked through (if you move it slightly, it shouldn't jiggle).
Note: You may need to loosely place aluminum foil around pie crust edges to prevent them from getting too brown. I often allow it to cool and then refrigerate it to set up further. Then I warm slightly before serving. Remember, this makes TWO pies.
Notes
You may need to cook your pie longer, but know that it will set up while cooling! This recipe yields TWO pies.
To make light brown sugar, combine 1 cup white granulated sugar and 1 Tbsp.molasses (increase to 2 Tbsp.molasses for dark brown sugar). No need to whip out the blender or food processor—you can mix this by hand.
The famous dessert reportedly originated in the 1850s in resourceful Amish communities in Indiana. According to What's Cooking America, the pie consisted of only four simple ingredients: brown sugar, flour, heavy cream, and an 8-inch pie crust at 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
Brown sugar is simply white granulated sugar combined with molasses. Adding molasses gives white sugar a richer, deeper flavor. Because of the added molasses, brown sugar is moister than white sugar. Sugar is made from the juice of sugar cane or sugar beets.
To quickly soften brown sugar: place the sugar in a microwave safe bowl and cover it with a damp paper towel for about 20 second, or use a food processor to loosen the brown sugar. If you aren't pressed for time, use a slice of bread or an apple in an airtight container with the brown sugar for 24 hours.
"Other substitutes include Sorghum syrup, and Treacle, an English version of molasses, you may find at an international market." Honey, dark corn syrup, and maple syrup can also be used to replace molasses in recipes.
Molasses contains more nutrients than refined sugar. However, while molasses appears to be a slightly less harmful version of sugar, it can still have negative health effects. Anyone consuming molasses should do so in moderation, bearing in mind that a serving is 1 tbs, or 20 g.
For every cup of brown sugar called for in your recipe, substitute 1 cup (198g) white granulated sugar and 2 teaspoons (14g) molasses for light brown sugar; or 1 cup (198g) white granulated sugar and 1 tablespoon (21g) molasses for dark brown sugar.
The Ancient Egyptians were the first to invent a dish close to what we know as a pie today. They had a honey filling covered in a crusty cake made from oats, wheat, rye or barley. A recipe for chicken pie was also discovered on a tablet carved prior to 2000 BC.
Some food writers and others have criticized naming foods including Crack Pie after addictive substances as insensitive and offensive. In May 2019, Devra First of the Boston Globe criticized the name in a column for making light of addiction by alluding to the addictiveness of crack cocaine.
In the letter addressed both to consumers and employees, Tosi writes that “the old name was getting in the way” of the bakery's core mission “to spread joy and inspire celebration” — essentially making people feel unwelcome. “While change is never easy, we feel this is the right decision,” she writes.
Brown sugar essentially does not go bad (unless contaminants have gotten mixed in), making it ideal for buying in bulk if you do a lot of baking. Hardened sugar isn't bad. It's just in need of moisture. However, brown sugar will perform best if used within two years of purchase.
Molasses is best kept at room temperature between 10°C to 21°C (50 – 70°F). The shelf life of molasses is generally 18 months when kept below 21°C and under reasonably steady conditions of temperature and humidity. Refrigeration or freezing may crystallize the natural sugars and therefore is not recommended.
My hypothesis of what produced the sour smell in this bag of brown sugar was the presence of one or more varieties of microbes that can metabolize either into lactic acid or acetic acid. These microbes could have eaten molasses, regular sugar or both.
Find yourself out of brown sugar? Don't fret — you can make your own in no time! Making homemade brown sugar is simply a matter of adding the molasses back into the white sugar—sort of a reverse refining process. Another added benefit of making your own is that you can make just what you need as you need it.
A combination of white sugar and molasses is your best bet for a brown sugar substitute, as that's exactly what brown sugar is made of (1). To make your own light brown sugar, mix 1 cup, or 200 grams (g), of granulated white sugar with 1 tablespoon (tbsp.), or 15 milliliters (mL), of molasses.
Cinnamon sugar combines ground cinnamon with sugar to make a sweet ingredient or topping for desserts. It is different from brown sugar, which is sugar that is less processed than granulated sugar, leaving behind some moisture and giving it a more caramel-like flavor.
Introduction: My name is Velia Krajcik, I am a handsome, clean, lucky, gleaming, magnificent, proud, glorious person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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