UW Extension

People who have a sweet tooth are sure to love Butterscotch Pudding Day, which is held each year on September 19th. At times, I yearn for the flavor of butterscotch and pudding is the perfect velvet-rich, silky smooth dessert for my craving.

Did you know there is no actual “Scotch” in butterscotch? The scotch in butter scotch doesn’t refer to the aged oak cast malt whisky sipping spirit. There's no clear origin to the name. Although the logic behind the ‘butter’ part of the name is obvious, the ‘scotch’ part is more mysterious. Some say it comes from the word scorched, since the sugar is heated to an extremely high temperature. Another speculation links ‘scotch’ to its Scottish origins.

Although nobody knows the exact origins of Butterscotch Pudding Day, records show that this dessert has been around since at least 1848. There are a number of variations available on the standard recipe and butterscotch pudding is extremely easy to make. If you have children, making butterscotch pudding is the perfect way to celebrate Butterscotch Pudding Day. Or why not surprise someone special by making this sweet treat just for them.

A lot of folks aren’t butterscotch fans, and I vie that they don’t like it because they have never had real butterscotch, only golden-colored hard candies and prepackaged or box pudding. Butterscotch pudding has a deep and rich flavor from the caramelized sugar and the molasses.

Most recipes for butterscotch pudding have these two ingredients: butter and brown sugar. The dark brown sugar lends a more complex flavor due to the molasses it contains, as compared to granulated sugar, which is what caramel uses.

Butterscotch is the perfect blend of browned butter, caramelized sugar, a touch of molasses, and salt. Think toffee, but without any nuts in it. You will cook the butter and dark brown sugar together until the butter browns and the sugar caramelizes.

Butterscotch and caramel flavors are similar, yet different. Butterscotch is sugar + butter + molasses + salt, or in current terms, dark brown sugar + butter. Caramel is sugar cooked until it is caramelized.

It will take about 20 minutes to make the butterscotch. Here is the process for making butterscotch:

1. Melt the butter together with the dark brown sugar and salt.

2. Heat to a boil, stirring constantly. At first, it will be hard to get the butter and sugar to blend together. Then all of a sudden, it’ll be a smooth, boiling mixture. Keep cooking and stirring.

3. Continue cooking, stirring constantly, until the sugar caramelizes. Once your butterscotch is boiling, continue cooking. First, the butter will separate out again, and you think you will have messed up. But then, it will come back together after a couple of minutes of cooking and stirring. Once it comes back together, you add the milk.

So in honor of National Butterscotch Pudding Day, here is a recipe for butterscotch pudding. Top with salted caramel, homemade whipped cream, and toffee bits for a truly amazingly tasty dessert!

Old Fashioned Butterscotch Pudding

Makes 2 ½ cups – 4 servings

Ingredients:

3 egg yolks

1 1/2 Tablespoons cornstarch

1/2 cup dark brown sugar, packed

6 Tablespoons unsalted butter

3/8 teaspoon kosher salt

2 cups whole milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Optional:

1/2 cup heavy cream

Small pinch of salt

1 Tablespoon dark brown sugar, packed

Instructions:

Measure out the milk and set near the stove.

In a medium bowl, whisk the yolks and cornstarch together. Mixture will be very thick. Set aside near the stove.

Put the vanilla extract in another medium bowl and place a fine mesh strainer over the top. Set aside near the stove.

In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, melt the butter. Add the dark brown sugar and salt, and cook the two together over medium-high heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon or high-heat spatula. The mixture will look very creamy and bubbly, and then all of a sudden, the butter will separate out. Don't stop stirring! In another couple of minutes, the mixture will come back together again.

As soon as the butterscotch comes back together, pour in the milk, all at one time and carefully remove the pan from the heat. The butterscotch will bubble and then turn into a hard mass. Carefully pry the hard mass off the bottom of the pan with your spoon or spatula and then return the pan to medium-low heat.

Stir until all the butterscotch has melted back into the milk. This could take 4-5 minutes. Just be patient and keep stirring. You will most likely have butterscotch stuck to the spoon or spatula. It will melt if you just keep stirring.

Once the butterscotch milk is nice and smooth, continue to heat until the milk is steaming. Then, temper about half the butterscotch into the egg yolk mixture, whisking very well. To temper the eggs pour a little bit of the butterscotch liquid (a thin stream) into the egg yolk mixture while you are whisking the eggs. Continue adding about half of the hot liquid in a thin steady stream, whisking continuously, until the egg mixture is hot.

Slowly pour the tempered yolks back into the pan and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Allow the mixture to boil for 2 minutes, whisking constantly.

Pour the pudding through the fine mesh strainer into the bowl with the vanilla. The mixture will be very thick, so use the pack of your spatula to press it through. Stir until the vanilla is mixed into the pudding.

At this point, you can pour the pudding into small bowls or leave it in the large bowl. Let the pudding cool slightly and press plastic wrap down onto the surface of the pudding to prevent a skin from forming on it. Eat the pudding warm or cold.

Optional: Whip together the whipped cream, salt, and brown sugar until it reaches medium peaks. You can either serve individual puddings topped with the whipped cream, or, if you want a lighter texture, remove the plastic wrap from the surface of the big bowl of pudding and whisk the pudding well so it is smooth and creamy. Whisk in a portion of the whipped cream to lighten the pudding. Once incorporated, fold the rest of the whipped cream in until no streaks of white remain.

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Submitted by Vicki Hayman