Maple Cream Pie

Maple is one of our favorite fall flavors, so we’re bringing it to a classic cream pie for Thanksgiving and other seasonal celebrations. The filling is rich, silky, and bursting with burnt-sugar maple sweetness. For the crust, we use both Dinner Bell Unsalted Butter and cream cheese, so it bakes up light, flaky, and a little bit tangy. The result? A perfectly balanced fall dessert that’s as decadent as it is cozy.

How To:

1. To make the crust: In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and cream cheese on low speed until smooth, 5 minutes. Add the flour, sugar, and salt and mix until just combined.

2. Transfer the dough to a clean work surface, pat it into a disk. Wrap in plastic and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes or until firm and up to overnight.

3. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into a 14-inch circle. Carefully transfer the dough to a 9" pie pan, trim and crimp the edges, and place the pan in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to chill.

4. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line the crust with parchment paper and fill the crust with pie weights. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until the edges are golden brown. Remove the crust from the oven and carefully remove the parchment paper and pie weights

5. Return the crust to the oven and bake until the bottom of the crust is light brown, about 10 to 15 minutes. Let the crust cool completely.

6. Meanwhile, to make the filling: In a medium saucepan, combine 1 ¾ cups of the milk, the cream, brown sugar, and maple syrup. Cook, whisking to dissolve the sugar, until steaming, 5 to 7 minutes.

7. In a medium bowl, whisk together the remaining ¼ cup milk, the egg yolks, cornstarch, and salt. Slowly pour about 1 ½ cups of the steaming milk into the egg yolk mixture while whisking to combine.

8. Pour the egg yolk mixture back into the pot. While whisking constantly, bring to a boil and cook for 1 minute. Immediately transfer the custard to a large bowl, cover flush with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until just warm to the touch, about 30 minutes.

9. Remove the plastic wrap, add the vanilla and diced butter, and use an immersion blender to blend until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.

10. Pour the filling into the cooled pie crust and spread evenly. Refrigerate overnight. Serve cold with whipped cream. Leftover pie can be stored covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Recipe adapted from King Arthur Baking.