This butterscotch pudding recipe makes a rich, creamy and perfectly sweet pudding. The color and classic sweetness of butterscotch come from the brown sugar.
Separate the eggs and put the egg yolks in a medium mixing bowl.
In a medium, heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat, add the brown sugar and water and stir with a wooden spoon or heavy-duty spatula until the sugar has melted - about 1 minute.
Turn the heat to medium-high and cook the mixture, without stirring, until it's dark brown and smells like caramel - about 8 minutes. If you prefer a smoky butterscotch flavor, cook for 10-12 minutes (the sugar will start to smoke a little).
Whisk in the cream. The mixture is going to hiss and bubble and the sugar will harden and lump together - this is ok! Then whisk in 1 cup of the milk. Bring the mixture back to a boil and keep whisking - making sure to get the corners as well - and the mixture will liquify again as the sugar melts into the liquid.
While the liquid is heating back to a boil (keep an eye on to make sure it does not boil over!), in a liquid measuring cup, whisk the remaining 1/4 cup milk with the cornstarch until any lumps are gone. Whisk into the egg yolks until smooth.
Remove the saucepan from heat and VERY slowly, using a soup ladle, drizzle about a cup of the butterscotch liquid into the egg yolk mixture, whisking well the whole time -this tempers the eggs so they do not scramble when added to the hot liquid. The bowl should start to feel warm - if it does not, drizzle more of the butterscotch liquid and whisk until it does. Take the tempered egg mixture and whisk back into the saucepan with the remaining butterscotch. Return the saucepan to medium heat.
Whisk constantly until the butterscotch starts to thicken and bubbles pop on the surface. The butterscotch will be the right consistency when it has the same consistency of mayonnaise, and the whisk leaves tracks in butterscotch; about 2-3 minutes.
Remove the saucepan from the heat. Add the butter and vanilla and stir until incorporated. Start with 1 teaspoon of vanilla and taste - add the second if you want more vanilla flavor.
(Optional, but highly recommended) Strain the pudding through a fine mesh strainer into a medium bowl before pouring into serving dishes.
Pour the pudding into 6 small cups, glasses or ramekins. Cover each with plastic wrap, pressing directly onto the surface of the pudding to avoid a 'skin' forming on top of the pudding. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or overnight.
Notes
You can cook the sugar, butter, and water a bit longer if you want a more 'smoky' butterscotch flavor. At about 8-10 minutes, the sugar will give off a strong caramel and nutty smell. Be careful not to cook longer! I have found that if the sugar starts to smoke, the butterscotch will taste like the top of Creme Brule - burnt.
I have made this recipe without the water as well and I find that the water does help the brown sugar to dissolve nicely.
You can use lower fat milk - i.e. 2%. However, I would not use skim milk because there is not enough fat content in skim milk to aid in thickening the pudding.
Tempering the egg yolks may take some practice. Take your time drizzling in the hot liquid and make sure to keep whisking. I use a soup ladle to drizzle in the liquid and it does require a bit of coordination to ladle/drizzle and whisk at the same time.
If you are concerned you may have gotten some 'scrambles' when tempering the eggs with the hot liquid, definitely strain the butterscotch. I always strain just to be certain I don't have any lumps.
The pudding tastes awesome with a little whipped cream dolloped on top! I love coconut cream whipped cream and you can find the recipe here.