If you have never tried Southern Brown Sugar Pie, you are in for a treat! It’s an easy pie that’s full of rich, brown sugar flavor!
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!
More Desserts to Try
Butterscotch Cinnamon Pie
Chocolate Chess Pie
Homemade Brownies (from Scratch)
Southern Brown Sugar Pie
Author: Courtney Whitmore
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.
Refrigerator. Once the baked sugar pie has completely cooled, cover the pie with some aluminum foil or plastic wrap, and store it in the refrigerator. You may store the pie in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. When ready to serve the pie again, allow it to come to room temperature or slightly reheat it before enjoying it.
The two types of brown sugar, light and dark, refer to the amount of molasses that is present. Light brown sugar is used more often in baking, while dark brown sugar, with a bolder molasses flavor, is delicious used as a rub for steaks. A lot of bakers, however, will use light and dark brown sugar interchangeably.
Add a tablespoon of buckwheat honey to a cup of white granulated sugar. This honey is darker than orange blossom or wildflower honey and has a strong flavor much like molasses that will come through in the resulting sugar.
According to the University of Illinois Extension, pies with eggs and dairy will only last about two hours without refrigeration, while pies without eggs or dairy can last for up to two days without refrigeration. Pies with eggs and dairy products should always be stored in the refrigerator until served.
If a pie contains eggs or dairy products, it should be stored in the refrigerator and not left out at room temperature for more than two hours. Pies that do not contain dairy products, such as fruit pies can be stored, loosely covered at room temperature for up to two days.
While they have similar uses, molasses and maple syrup are different. Molasses is made using beet or cane sugar and maple syrup is made using maple tree sap. So what's the difference between molasses and maple syrup? Besides the way they are produced, maple syrup and molasses have different tastes and textures.
Maple syrup isn't just great for pancakes and waffles—it's a good alternative for molasses, too! You won't get that distinct molasses flavor, but maple syrup will add similar sweetness and moisture.
Light or dark molasses work well for most baking projects, but seek out unsulphured molasses for the purest flavor. If you don't have molasses on hand, you can substitute an equal amount of pure maple syrup, agave nectar, date syrup, or a dark honey (like buckwheat) in the homemade brown sugar recipe above.
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.
Since it is crafted differently, Turbinado contains less moisture and features larger crystals than typical Brown Sugar. These qualities make it better for use in beverages, as a garnish or as a substitute for typical granulated sugar in your favorite recipes.
When a recipe calls for "brown sugar," it is usually referring to light brown sugar. Dark brown sugar should be used only when specified. This is important when baking recipes sensitive to moisture and density (such as cakes) because of the difference in moisture content between the two types of brown sugar.
You can still create a suitable substitute for brown sugar if you have a liquid sweetener like maple syrup, agave nectar, honey, brown rice syrup, or date syrup.
An air tight container is best for storing brown sugar as it keeps both air and moisture from coming in contact with the sugar. Putting the container in the refrigerator is not needed as sugars last a long time as long as they are kept from air and moisture.
If your pie was sold unrefrigerated in the store, it can continue to be stored on your counter until the sell-by date. In general, store-bought pies last about two to four days after their printed date in the refrigerator and about six to nine months in the freezer.
You can only keep it at room temperature for two hours. Since pecan pies contain eggs, they have more chances to get bad and make you sick. So, if you have kept your pies in the fridge, put them back within two hours. On the other hand, store-bought pies contain preservatives that keep them from spoiling.
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