Buckeye Sugar Cream Pie

Buckeye sugar cream pie is Ohio’s version of the Indiana Hoosier sugar cream pie made with a chocolate pie crust and sweet peanut butter cream filling.

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Sugar cream pie may be the unofficial state pie of Indiana, but today instead of a Hoosier sugar cream pie I made a Buckeye sugar cream pie! Shockingly Indiana has been climbing the ranks in college football this year and today it’s our turn to take them on – thankfully at home.

Obviously I had to take the opportunity to buckeye their state pie in honor of the occasion. Especially since today is also my dad’s 80th birthday! It’s the perfect pie to make for this day because he was born in Ohio but grew up in Indiana. It was just meant to be.

Despite the long history of this pie, The only ingredient that people can agree upon is that it has to contain sugar. Otherwise, the filling can be made with milk or cream (or anything in between), flour or cornstarch, sometimes butter, but definitely not eggs. This sweetened dairy mixture is then best thickened on the stove top and poured into a pre-baked crust for a more reliable consistency.

So how did I make this Indiana staple a Buckeye sugar cream pie? First I made a chocolate pie crust, which honestly takes the majority of the prep and cooking time of this recipe. I don’t pre-bake crusts often, but it’s always fun to pull out my pie weights for the occasion.

Once the crust was prepped and ready to go, all I had to do to the filling was substitute out the butter for peanut butter. I almost used powdered peanut butter but since this pie was born out “desperation”, using ingredients found in many Hoosier pantries, I figured most people don’t have powdered peanut butter lying around and opted for classic creamy peanut butter instead.

The end result was better than I imagined. A buttery, slightly chocolate crust, filled with a creamy peanut butter filling reminiscent of creme brulee, with a dusting of cinnamon and nutmeg on top. I even added a tiny buckeye candy on top.

Five years ago: Peanut Butter & Chocolate Cream Pie

Nine years ago: Chorizo Ragu Stuffed Spaghetti Squash

Eleven years ago: Mini Razzle Dazzle Peanut Butter Cinnamon Rolls

Twelve years ago: Pumpkin Bagels with Cinnamon-Walnut Cranberry Cream Cheese Spread

Thirteen years ago: Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake

BUCKEYE SUGAR CREAM PIE

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Yield: 8 Servings Prep Time: 6 Hours 30 Minutes Cooking Time: 35 Minutes 35 Minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

CHOCOLATE PIE CRUST

• 1/4 cup cold milk
• 1 tsp chocolate extract, optional
• 1/2 tsp white vinegar
• 1-1/4 cups flour
• 2 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 Tbsp sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes
• 1/4 cup cold shortening, cut into cubes
• 1 egg white, lightly beaten

FILLING

• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 5 Tbsp cornstarch
• 1 pinch of salt
• 3 cups heavy cream
• 5 creamy peanut butter
• 1 Tbsp vanilla extract

TOPPING

• 2 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

Directions

1. Make the crust: In a small bowl, combine the milk, vinegar, and chocolate extract (if using); set aside.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, and salt. Add butter and shortening and cut into the flour mixture with a knife or pastry cutter (or pulse in a food processor).
3. Add milk mixture, stirring (or pulsing) until a dough forms. If needed add a little more flour or milk to form a dough that hold itself together without being sticky. Form into a smooth flattened disc of dough, wrap in plastic, and chill for 30 minutes or overnight.
4. Roll dough out on a floured surface and fit into a 10-inch pie plate. Trim excess or crimp edges as desired*, pierce the sides and bottom of  crust with a fork, and chill in the freezer for 30 minutes or overnight.
5. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Place pie crust on a baking sheet. Line the crust with parchment paper and fill with pie weights or dried beans.
6. Bake the crust for 20 minutes. Remove the parchment paper and pie weights, brush the inside of the crust with egg white, then return to the oven and bake another 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and set on a wire rack to cool while preparing the filling.
7. Make the filling: In a medium saucepan, whisk together the sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Add the cream and peanut butter, then set over medium heat, whisking constantly, until the mixture thickens and begins to boil, about 5 minutes. Cook for 1 more minute, then remove from the heat. Immediately add the vanilla and whisk to combine.
8. Pour the filling into the pre-baked cooled pie crust and smooth to fill evenly. Let set for 30 minutes.
9. Preheat oven to broil with an oven rack 6 inches below the element. Drizzle melted butter over the top of the pie, tilting or using a pastry brush to distribute the butter evenly. Sift cinnamon and nutmeg over the top. Place the pie under the broiler until the butter bubbles and the surface browns, about 2 minutes.
10. Cool completely on a wire rack before refrigerating for 4 hours or overnight until fully set. 

Notes

*I used the excess to roll back out and cut out little circles to decorate the edges.

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Source: Adapted from Saving Room for Dessert and the crust from my Caramel Apple Pie.