OLD FASHIONED SUGAR PIE RECIPE {BROWN SUGAR PIE} (2024)

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Old Fashioned Sugar Pie Recipe is a vintage but very popular pie with a gooey brown sugar filling and flaky crust. It’s a simple recipe, butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla, flour, and milk, using pantry staples.

OLD FASHIONED SUGAR PIE RECIPE {BROWN SUGAR PIE} (1)

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OLD FASHIONED SUGAR PIE RECIPE

I had a reader ask about an Old Fashioned Sugar Pie Recipe after I posted this Buttermilk Pie. Since I began making the brown sugar pie, it has become one of our favorites.

A lot of people confuse a Chess Pie with Sugar Pie, but they are not the same. In fact, Chess Pie, Sugar Pie, and Butter Pie are all similar. As well, the lines are blurred even more with personal modifications and bloggers’ renaming or misnaming these recipes based on SEO target keywords.

A Sugar Pie has a single crust and is filled with a mixture of butter, brown sugar, flour, milk, eggs, and vanilla. When it bakes the filling turns into a caramel-like mixture (from the butter and brown sugar).

Sometimes the Old Fashioned Sugar Pie is referred to as ‘desperation pie’ because it could be made with ingredients that would always be on hand ‘on the farm’, butter, sugar, flour, and eggs. Similarly, the reason Buttermilk Pie, Vinegar Pie, and Chess Piebecame popular.

OLD FASHIONED SUGAR PIE RECIPE {BROWN SUGAR PIE} (2)

WHERE DID SUGAR PIE ORIGINATE?

This pie is originally from France. It came to Quebec, and subsequently the rest of Canada, during colonization. Sugar Pie varieties can also be found in other western European countries, as well as throughout the mid-west in the US.

IS TART AU SUCRE THE SAME AS SUGAR PIE?

Yes! Tarte au Sucre is a French term meaning “sugar pie.”

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Sugar Pie Recipe

I found a simple version of the recipe in one of my Grandmother’s old recipe books. Basically, there were just measurements and no good instructions. After a couple of tries, it turned out great.

Turns out this recipe is crazy simple to make. I even modified it after initially posting this recipe to an even more simple method of mixing it. Most recipes that have been around for a long time are simple. But, they stand the test of time because they’re also goodand usually economical to make.

This Sugar Pie Recipe has a gooey, sugary consistency. It’s like flan or creme brulee without the caramelized sugar on top. You could totally top this pie with meringue if you’re not meringue-opposed like I am. Instead, I prefer to serve it with whipped cream or ice cream.

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What you’ll need to make this recipe

  • Butter. Real butter, no substitution
  • All-purpose flour.
  • Milk.
  • Eggs.
  • Brownsugar.
  • Pure vanilla extract.
  • Pie crust. You can make pie crust. I love this Never Fail Pie Crust recipe as well as this Coconut Oil Pie Crust. Of course, you can also purchase a pie crust. This is a regular, not deep dish, pie crust. If you use a deep dish pie crust, you will need to double the filling ingredients as well as cook the pie longer. (I’m not sure about the time, you’ll need to watch and test it.)
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Old Fashioned Sugar Pie Tips

As mentioned above, I changed the method for making this pie over time. I mix all the ingredients in a bowl, pour it into the prebaked pie crust, and put it in the oven. It’s so much easier than the way I originally published the recipe.

Likewise, be patient when baking the pie. It takes a long time to bake, especially when you’re dying to taste it. This pie will still be slightly jiggly in the center when it’s done. But the edges will be set and the top will be lightly browned. And, hey, if you take it out of the oven before it’s set, serve it over ice cream as a sauce and it’s still good. #becauseIknow

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I updated this post from an earlier version dated October 15, 2017. I made new photos and simplified the recipe instructions.

These were the original photos for this sugar pie.

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OLD FASHIONED SUGAR PIE RECIPE {BROWN SUGAR PIE} (8)
OLD FASHIONED SUGAR PIE RECIPE {BROWN SUGAR PIE} (9)

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OLD FASHIONED SUGAR PIE RECIPE {BROWN SUGAR PIE} (15)

Old Fashioned Sugar Pie Recipe

Butter, sugar, and brown sugar cook in a flaky crust to form a gooey pie. It'ss simple yet decadent.

Author: Paula

4.95 from 94 votes

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Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 55 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour 15 minutes minutes

Servings: 8 slices

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 3 tablespoons flour
  • ½ cup whole milk
  • 1 and ½ cups brown sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 9-inch Pie crust I used a store bought crust

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 325°F. Place the pie crust on a cookie sheet (in case it boils over). Blind bake the crust for 10 minutes.

  • When you remove the crust from the oven after 10 minutes, turn the oven up to 350°F.

  • In a large bowl, whisk the melted butter, flour, milk, vanilla, and brown sugar.

  • Whisk the eggs separately, then stir them into the brown sugar mixture.

  • Pour the mixture into pre-baked pie crust.

  • Bake at 350°F for 50 to55 minutes. The pie will puff up with the edge appearing brown and 'firm'. The center will be a little jiggly.

  • Carefully remove the pie from the oven and allow it to cool before cutting.

  • Serve at room temperature with whipped cream or ice cream.

  • Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It's last 5 to 7 days in the fridge.

Notes

I retested this recipe and made changes to the above ingredient amounts that I believe work better. Below is simply the recipe as originally written.

  • 2 tablespoon butter
  • 2tablespoonsflour
  • ½cupwhole milk
  • 1 and ½ cups brown sugar
  • 2largeeggs
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 (9-inch) Pie crust, I used a store-bought crust

Nutrition

Calories: 245kcal | Carbohydrates: 44g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 60mg | Sodium: 81mg | Potassium: 153mg | Sugar: 43g | Vitamin A: 254IU | Calcium: 110mg | Iron: 1mg

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OLD FASHIONED SUGAR PIE RECIPE {BROWN SUGAR PIE} (2024)

FAQs

What is the history of brown sugar pie? ›

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.

What's the difference between a sugar pie and a chess pie? ›

What is the Difference Between a Sugar Cream Pie and Custard or Chess Pie? Chess pies and custard pies are mixed and poured right into the pie crust, and they contain eggs. A sugar cream pie is made without eggs, and the filling is usually prepared on the stovetop, reducing the overall baking time.

What is sugar pie made of? ›

Sugar pie
Sugar pie from northern France
Alternative namesSugar cream pie, finger pie, tarte au sucre
TypePie
Main ingredientsFlour, butter, sugar
Media: Sugar pie

What is another name for sugar pie? ›

There was an effort to give it official status in 2009, but the measure never made it to the governor's desk. It's also known as finger pie (you can mix it with your fingers), transparent pie, Hoosier pie and desperation pie (when fruit wasn't available or money was tight and you really wanted a piece of pie).

What is the oldest pie in the world? ›

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.

Why is it no longer called crack pie? ›

Name change

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.

What is a patsy pie? ›

The English word "pasty" derives from Medieval French (O.Fr. paste from V. Lat pasta) for a pie, filled with venison, salmon or other meat, vegetables or cheese, baked without a dish. Pasties have been mentioned in cookbooks throughout the ages.

What is Montgomery pie made of? ›

Combine 1/2 cup sugar with 2 tablespoons flour and mix well. Stir in molasses, egg, 1 cup water, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Mix thoroughly and pour into unbaked pie shell. Cream butter with remaining 2/3 cup white sugar until light and fluffy.

What is a bells pie? ›

Part of Everyday Scottish Life

The iconic Bells Steak Pie! Slow cooked select cuts of the finest braised steak in a rich and flavourful gravy. Hand finished with Bells Special Puff Pastry.

When a guy calls you sugar pie? ›

A term of endearment; honey, sweetie, darling.

What is huckleberry pie made of? ›

Combine huckleberries, sugar, tapioca, lemon juice, lemon zest, and cinnamon, if using, in a large bowl. Toss to evenly distribute the sugar, then let the mixture sit for 20-30 minutes so the tapioca can soften slightly. Add the filling to the pie crust, then dot with butter.

What is Kool Aid pie made of? ›

The pie is typically made by mixing Kool-Aid powder with sweetened condensed milk and cool whip, and then pouring the mixture into a pre-made graham cracker crust. The pie is then chilled in the refrigerator until it sets, which usually takes a few hours.

What is a sugar pie slang? ›

sugarpie (plural sugarpies) A term of endearment; honey, sweetie, darling.

What dessert is Indiana known for? ›

Hoosier Sugar Cream Pie. Creamy, white and sugary-sweet, this pie will be a perfect dessert for your next gathering.

What is the difference between a sugar pie and a butter tart? ›

The butter tart is different from the sugar pie given the lack of flour in the filling. The butter tart is different from pecan pie in that it has a "runnier" filling due to the omission of corn starch.

Where did sugar pie originate from? ›

How is brown sugar made originally? ›

Brown sugar is often produced by adding sugarcane molasses to completely refined white sugar crystals to more carefully control the ratio of molasses to sugar crystals and to reduce manufacturing costs.

Where did sweet pies originate? ›

The history of the pie has its roots in ancient Egypt and Greece. The ancient Greeks ate pie (artocreas), though it was of the savory type with meat in an open pastry shell. The Romans may have been the first to create a pie that included a top and bottom crust.

Why is Indiana known for sugar cream pie? ›

Sugar cream pie is the unofficial state pie of Indiana, where it is believed to have originated with Quaker settlers who came from North Carolina in the early 19th century, and thereafter settled in east-central Indiana, particularly around the cities of New Castle, Portland, Richmond, and Winchester.

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