Brown Butter Chess Pie

Oct 31, 2026 · By VanillaGoods

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Brown Butter Chess Pie: whole homemade brown butter chess pie with a single flaky pastry crust, open-faced with NO top crust

Brown Butter Chess Pie: a silky baked custard pie in a flaky crust. Makes 8 slices in about 5.5 hours.

Prep 35 min

Cook 55 min

Cooling 4 hr

Total 5 hr 30 min

Yield 8 slices

Diet —

Ingredients

Adjust yield

slices

Crust

1 ½ cups (180.0 g)all-purpose flour
½ cup (115.0 g)unsalted butter, very cold, cubed
¾ tsp (4.0 g)fine salt
¼ cup (65.0 ml)ice water

Custard filling

1 ¾ cups (430.0 ml)whole milk
3.0 (150.0 g)large eggs
¾ cup (150.0 g)granulated sugar
2 ½ tbsp (22.0 g)cornstarch
4.0 tbsp (55.0 g)unsalted butter, melted and cooled
¼ tsp (2.0 g)fine salt
3 ½ tbsp (50.0 g)browned unsalted butter

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Instructions

Make the pastry: cut 115 g cold butter into 180 g flour and 4 g salt; stir in 65 ml ice water. Shape a disk and chill 30 minutes.
Roll to a 30 cm circle and line a 23 cm pie plate. Crimp and chill the shell 15 minutes while preheating the oven to 375°F (190°C).
In a large bowl whisk eggs, sugar, cornstarch and other measured custard ingredients until smooth; blend or whisk vigorously to remove lumps.
Pour filling into the unbaked chilled crust. Set pie on a rimmed baking sheet on the lower-middle oven rack.
Bake 45–60 minutes until edges are set and center has a gentle 2–3 cm wobble; ensure egg custard reaches at least 160°F (71°C) in the center using a probe.
Cool at room temperature no more than 2 hours; refrigerate at least 4 hours before clean slicing. Always store custard pies refrigerated.

Tips

Shield pie edges if necessary; stop baking when set with a small jiggle to limit cracking.
Custard pies are perishable and should not be displayed unrefrigerated.

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Recipe FAQ

How long does it take to make brown butter chess pie?

Plan on 35 minutes of prep and 55 minutes of cooking, plus 4 hours to chill. The recipe makes 8 slices.

How should I store brown butter chess pie?

Refrigerate at 40°F/4°C or colder; use within 3 days.

Can I make brown butter chess pie ahead?

Yes. Refrigerate at 40°F/4°C or colder; use within 3 days.

Brown Butter Chess Pie: a silky baked custard pie in a flaky crust. Makes 8 slices in about 5.5 hours.

Estimated · per serving

Nutrition

Per serving = 1 of 8 servings this recipe makes.

423 Calories / serving

26.1g Fat

41.2g Carbs

6.6g Protein

21.7g Sugar

Whole recipe (8 servings): ~3384 cal · 209g fat · 330g carbs · 53g protein · 174g sugar

Estimated values per serving, calculated from standard ingredient data. Not verified Nutrition Facts; actual values vary with brands, measurements, and preparation.