Best Butterscotch Pudding
Are you a butterscotch person? I’ve admittedly never been a big butterscotch person, perhaps out of lack of exposure. My pudding experience as a kid consisted solely of vanilla and chocolate; butterscotch wasn’t something that was even on my radar, save for a piece of Werther’s candy that I would snag when we were visiting relatives. Even then, it seemed sickeningly sweet and I definitely never sought out the flavor.
Fast forward decades and here we are… butterscotch pudding that I would drink if I could. I’m honestly not sure if this should be called butterscotch pudding or salted caramel pudding because, basically, this tastes like thick, creamy, cold salted caramel sauce. In other words, this pudding is worth every ounce of effort put forth and every extra calorie consumed.
In order to make this pudding, you basically make a salted caramel sauce, add some extra milk, a few egg yolks, a thickening agent, and… voila! Butterscotch pudding. I press it through a fine-mesh sieve to ensure that it’s silky smooth, then refrigerate for a few hours until it’s cold and set.
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I think that I’ll probably need to eat an absurd amount of this to make up for all those years that my life was lacking butterscotch.
I’m up for the challenge. Pass the whipped cream.
One year ago: New York-Style Cheesecake with Fresh Strawberry Topping
Two years ago: Mississippi Mud Cake
Three years ago: Scalloped Potatoes
Four years ago: Soft and Chewy Sugar Cookies
Six years ago: Cheddar Corn Chowder
Best Butterscotch Pudding
Ingredients
- ¾ cup (170.25 g) unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch pieces
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (110 g) dark brown sugar
- ¼ cup (62.5 ml) water
- 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- ¾ teaspoon (0.75 teaspoon) salt
- 1 cup (238 ml) heavy cream
- 2¼ cups (549 ml) whole milk, divided
- 4 egg yolks
- ¼ cup (32 g) cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
- Bring butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, water, corn syrup, lemon juice, and salt to a boil in a large saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally to dissolve the sugar and melt the butter. Once the mixture is at a full rolling boil, cook, stirring occasionally, for until the mixture reaches 240 degrees F on a candy thermometer (about 5 minutes).
- Immediately reduce the heat to medium-low and gently simmer (the mixture should maintain a slow, steady stream of bubbles), stirring frequently, until the mixture reaches 300 degrees F on a candy thermometer, about 12 to 16 minutes longer (it should be the color of dark peanut butter and have a slight burnt smell).
- Remove the pan from heat; carefully pour ¼ cup of the heavy cream into the caramel mixture and swirl to incorporate (the mixture will bubble and steam). Allow the bubbling to subside, then whisk vigorously and scrape the corners of pan until the mixture is completely smooth, at least 30 seconds.
- Return the pan to medium heat and gradually whisk in the remaining ¾ cup heavy cream until smooth. Whisk in 2 cups of the milk until the mixture is smooth, making sure to scrape corners and edges of the pan to remove any remaining bits of caramel.
- Meanwhile, microwave the remaining ¼ cup milk for 45 seconds (it should be simmering). Whisk the egg yolks and cornstarch together in large bowl until smooth. Gradually whisk in the hot milk until smooth; set aside.
- Return the saucepan to medium-high heat and bring the mixture to a full rolling boil, whisking frequently. Once mixture is boiling rapidly and beginning to climb toward the top of the pan, immediately pour it into the bowl with the yolk mixture in a single motion (do not add gradually). Whisk thoroughly for 10 to 15 seconds (mixture will thicken after a few seconds). Press the pudding through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean bowl and whisk in the vanilla extract.
- Spray a piece of plastic wrap with non-stick cooking spray and press on the surface of pudding. Refrigerate until cold and set, at least 3 hours. Whisk the pudding until smooth before serving. Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator, with plastic wrap pressed against the surface, for up to 4 days.
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
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can u please send me your butterscotch pudding recipe.. and also your southern banana pudding recipe please to 15811 d h gate rd loogootee Indiana 47553 racquel a. baker aka birthday34
I will eat anything butterscotch, and this did not disappoint. Mellow, deep flavor. I didn’t find the recipe fussy or difficult.
I made this for Father’s Day for my 90 year old dad at his request. I LOVED it! I had tried to make butterscotch pudding the day before and had to chuck out the whole thing when right at the end it seemed to curdle and I had little hope of it setting. Plus, that recipe called for tempering the eggs and that was doable but a real pain. So I found this recipe, raced to the store for a candy thermometer, and voila! Delicious. I poured it into a graham cracker pie crust but then it took two and a half days to set and even then it was thoroughly set. I know I’ll make it again but do it in pudding dishes with a graham cracker base to it. Now, the flavor was so rich that it could be overpowering for some people and part of that richness is all the butter. I liked it just fine with that much butter but it could be cut down just a bit. I used honey instead of the corn syrup and wonder if I could just leave that out. In which case I would definitely cut back on the butter to maintain a balance. Well, who am I to second guess CI; I’ll just leave it as is I found a small piece of pie little went a long way. My dad has a big sweet tooth and a big appetite for desserts and he thought it was a bit too sweet. However, I’m pretty sure he took a huge slice. So yes, I’d do it again. Thanks for the recipe.
So…. I followed the recipe with only one small (I thought) modification. I used golden corn syrup instead of white. But my temps were exact. The final product is dark, it’s very, very dark – like almost burnt toffee dark. It’s not actually burnt, just super close. Was it the corn syrup that did it? Or what did I do wrong? It’s smooth and is setting now, but I’m not sure it’s edible (maybe if I top it with lots of whipping cream???). I was soooo looking forward to making it! :-(
This pudding is fantastic! I just made this recipe and it turned out just as promised. Other recipes may be faster and easier to make, but they don’t have the same depth of flavor.
The depth of flavor is amazing! It is time consuming and involved, but the directions are spot on. This is a keeper. Thank you for a terrific recipe.
The original from, from America’s Test Kitchen of Cooks Illustrated claimed one of the advantages of this method was that it eliminated the need to put it through a fine sieve. I found that to be NOT true, as apparently did the poster of this “adaptation”. (leaving out the original rum and putting through a sieve are the adaptations as far as I can see)
You can also make this with FAR FAR less butter. I only used 1/4 of a cup. No pudding needs a stick and half of butter for heavens sake!
Oddly the video on America’s Test Kitchen does not agree with their printed recipe, as no where in the video, does it ever tell you to add the rest of the heavy cream, after stopping the boiling with a 1/4 c.
Milk works for that 1/4 c. just fine.
Hi Michelle,
I just wanted to say that you’ve contributed to an elderly man’s happiness. My Dad is 87 and just out of the ICU to a nursing facility for rehab. We thought a few days ago we’d be bringing him home with a feeding tube for his last days, but now he’s able to swallow pureed things and working his way up. I brought this to him and he smiled like a little boy. Butterscotch is a favorite of his.
(The recipe does take a long time to set up, but it’s worth it.)
Happy Cooking from Pittsburgh neighbors!
Nobody cares if butterscotch is your husbands favorite or that you think this looks great or that it’s time to include more butterscotch in your life. For the people that want to know if this recipe is good– it is. It’s a little sweet, maybe nix the corn syrup (I used agave- I couldn’t bring myself to buy corn syrup, yuck!) it also takes a long time to set, chill overnight or at least 6-8 hours if possible.
So did anyone commenting actually make the recipe?