Magic Cream Pie
Cool, creamy pies always make a great dessert during the warmer months or any time of year. This recipe for Magic Cream Pie is simply magical because it's a basic custard pie recipe with a meringue topping that can be adapted to create a variety of flavors of pie. You can make a simple vanilla cream pie with this recipe, a butterscotch pie like the one pictured, a coconut cream pie, chocolate meringue pie, and more!
Notes
The pie pictured here is the butterscotch variation noted at the bottom. The recipe listed is for the basic vanilla, and all the variations are listed.
Makes1 pie
Cooking Time35 min
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/3 cup Carnation Evaporated Milk
- 1 cup water
- 3 egg yolks
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 (9-inch) graham cracker crust or baked pie crust
- Meringue Topping:
- 3 egg whites
- 1/3 cup sugar
Instructions
Make the Filling:
- Combine sugar, cornstarch, salt, water and evaporated milk in a medium saucepan over low heat. Cook until slightly thickened (about 12 to 15 minutes), stirring occasionally.
- Whisk egg yolks in a small bowl. Slowly dribble in small amounts of the cooked custard mixture to temper the yolks. Once you've added about 1/4 cup of the hot custard, go ahead and add the yolk mixture into the saucepan with the rest of the custard. Cook 3 to 4 minutes longer. Add vanilla and stir well. Pour custard into cooled baked or graham cracker pie shell. Cool completely.
Make the Meringue:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a mixer with whisk attachment at medium-high speed, whip egg whites until frothy; gradually add sugar while continuing to beat, until meringue holds soft peaks. Place meringue on cooled pie filling, sealing meringue to edge of pie crust. Place the flat side of a spoon on the meringue and lift straight up to create curly decorations in the topping.
- Brown in preheated oven 13-16 minutes.
Flavor Variations:
Coconut Cream Pie:
Add 1/2 cup sweetened shredded coconut to finished filling before adding to pie crust. Sprinkle 1/3 cup sweetened shredded coconut on top of meringue before browning.
Chocolate Meringue Pie:
Increase sugar in filling by 1/4 cup (for a total of 3/4 cups). Add 2 ounces melted unsweetened baking chocolate to finished filling before adding to pie crust. Top with meringue and brown as directed above.
Banana Cream Pie:
Slice 3 firm but ripe bananas and cover bottom of pie shell. Pour filling over bananas and continue as directed above. Optional: replace vanilla extract with banana extract. Top with meringue and brown as directed above.
Butterscotch meringue Pie:
Replace sugar in filling with 3/4 cup packed brown sugar. Top with meringue and brown as directed above.
Fruit Cream Pie:
Fold 3/4 cup drained, chopped peaches, berries or chopped pineapple into the finished filling before adding to the pie crust. Top with meringue and brown as directed above.
Tutti Fruiti Pie:
Add 1/3 cup chopped nuts and 1/2 cup drained chopped Maraschino cherries to the finished filling before adding to the pie crust. Top with meringue and brown as directed above.
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