Butterscotch Pudding Recipe

Bloom and mix thickeners

In a small bowl, whisk the cornstarch with 1/4 cup of the whole milk until dissolved and no lumps remain. Separately, lightly beat the egg yolks in a small bowl.

Make butterscotch base

In a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the dark brown sugar and stir constantly for 2–3 minutes until the sugar dissolves and the mixture becomes a glossy, slightly thickened caramel. Be careful not to burn.

Add cream and milk

Slowly pour in the heavy cream while stirring to combine, then add the remaining whole milk. Stir and bring the mixture to a gentle simmer (do not boil).

Temper and thicken

Temper the beaten egg yolks by whisking in about 1/3 cup of the hot milk mixture into the yolks, then pour the yolk mixture back into the saucepan, whisking constantly. Add the cornstarch slurry and continue to cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until the pudding thickens and coats the back of a spoon (about 3–5 minutes).

Finish and cool

Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla extract and sea salt. Pour the pudding into a heatproof bowl or individual serving glasses. Press plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the pudding to prevent a skin from forming. Chill in the refrigerator at least 2 hours until set (preferably 3 hours).

Place the gingersnap cookies in a food processor and pulse until coarse crumbs form. If you don’t have a food processor, put cookies in a zip-top bag and crush with a rolling pin to coarse crumbs.

Transfer crumbs to a small bowl and stir in the melted butter until evenly moistened. Taste and adjust—crumbs should hold together slightly when pinched but still be crumbly. Refrigerate until ready to assemble.

Reserve about 2 tablespoons of crumbs for garnish and the rest for layering.

Chill a medium mixing bowl and beaters in the freezer for 10 minutes beforehand for best results.

Pour the cold heavy cream into the chilled bowl. Add the powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and freshly grated nutmeg. Whip with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until soft peaks form, about 2–3 minutes. Do not overwhip.

Taste and add a pinch more nutmeg if desired. Keep chilled until assembly.

Remove pudding from refrigerator and remove plastic wrap. Spoon or pipe a layer of butterscotch pudding into serving glasses if not already portioned.

Add a layer (about 1–2 tablespoons) of the gingersnap crumble over the pudding. Repeat with another thin layer of pudding if glasses are deep enough.

Top each serving with a generous dollop (about 2 tablespoons) of nutmeg whipped cream. Sprinkle reserved gingersnap crumbs over the whipped cream and finish with a light dusting of freshly grated nutmeg if desired.

Serve chilled. Pudding can be made up to 2 days ahead (keep whipped cream separate until just before serving).