Coachella is finally over, which means the following:

I contract my annual post-Coachella sickness, this year in the form of acute pharyngitis (still worth it, though)
I spent copious hours poring over vibrant photos of the desert sunsets and stages reliving the best three days of the year
I eat everything in sight to make up for forgetting/being too busy to eat while at the festival and unintentionally losing four pounds

While seasonally it’s officially spring, produce is slowly catching up, so I found myself making a classic Southern dessert that satisfied my need for all things sweet, creamy, calorific, and quasi-acceptable to eat for breakfast—a brown butter maple chess pie.

I’m about this pie because the filling is a simple one-bowl recipe and the piecrust can be made ahead of time if needed. Translation: It’s the perfect recipe that does not require a lot of effort and still tastes delicious so I can continue to focus on regaining any ounce of energy lost during Coachella.

A bonus: When stored, this pie can last for up to a week, providing a sweet snack for any time of day.

Brown Butter Maple Pie

Created by Shikha on April 25, 2016

Prep Time:1h
Cook Time:45m
Total Time:1h 45m

Serves: 12
Yield: 1 9" pie

Ingredients

Pie Crust

1 1/4 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 stick butter, cold and cut into pieces
1/4 cup buttermilk

Filling

1/2 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup maple syrup
3 eggs
1/2 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup brown butter, cooled

Instructions

In the bowl of a stand mixer, stir together flour and salt. Add in butter cubes and mix until they become the size of large peas.
Slowly mix in the buttermilk, stirring until the dough comes together. Shape the dough into a disk, wrap in plastic, and chill for at least an hour before using.
On a floured surface, roll out the crust to 12 inches in diameter and transfer it to a pie pan. Trim and crimp accordingly and freeze it until ready to use.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
In a medium bowl, mix together flour, salt, and sugar.
In another bowl, whisk together maple syrup, eggs, buttermilk, vanilla, and cooled brown butter. Add to dry ingredients and mix until well combined.
Pour filling into prepared crust and bake for 35-45 minutes until pie is browned and puffed and not jiggling in the middle. If the crust begins to get too brown, cut strips of foil and cover the edges.
Cool at room temperature before serving.